Offstage
by Clara Barton
Summary: It's Duo's first professional job, at a summer stock theatre company in upstate New York. As an intern, he knows he has a lot to learn. But he didn't count on having to figure out how to deal with THIS mess. For the Gundam Wing Rare Pair Big Bang over on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: As always, thank you so, so much to Ro and Maeve for everything you do, but in particular for beta-reading this.

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

A/N #4: I AM BACK! Just returned home from summer theatre and I am READY TO WRITE AGAIN! Look for updates, new fics, all the crazy ideas, etc.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter One

There were a lot of things Duo had never done before, and the summer after his first year of college, he promised himself to start chiseling away at that list.

 **Never been to New York City. Check.**

His flight had arrived at LaGuardia just after noon, and Duo had had his face practically glued to the window, looking at the seemingly endless and soaring sprawl of the city.

 **Never taken a cab before. Check.**

He had wanted to just wait for the Port Authority shuttle from the airport to the bus station in Manhattan, but after missing the shuttle twice and having someone try to steal his backpack, Duo decided to hell with it and spent the extra money to take a cab.

 **Never sat for two hours in motionless traffic in NYC. Check.**

By the time Duo finally got to the Port Authority bus station, it was after four and the next bus headed for Bethel didn't leave until five-thirty.

 **Never sat for two hours in motionless traffic trying to leave NYC. Check.**

When Duo finally boarded the bus, he was surprised to see how packed it was - even more surprised when he found himself sharing a row with, he was pretty sure, a drag queen.

 **Never met a drag queen. Check.**

He - _she_ , Maria von Trap, corrected Duo - was going to a party with some friends in Sullivan County, and thought that with Duo's hair and build, he'd make a cute little ingenue type.

 **Never been complimented by a drag queen. Check.**

 **Never had makeup put on me. Check.**

By the time the bus finally made it to Bethel three hours after they left the station, Maria had told Duo all about her life, her passion for Maltese dogs, the "little" six-bedroom cabin her friends rented out each summer on Swan Lake so they could escape Manhattan, and offered to introduce him to a few friends of hers if he wanted to try out drag sometime.

Duo, in turn, had stuttered through a polite thanks, but no thanks. He told Maria a little about himself as she applied makeup to his eyes - it had been a _very_ long bus ride - even though he was aware that, next to her, his life was incomparably dull.

Duo had just finished his freshman year at Columbus State University in Georgia, and had jumped at the opportunity to work in New York for the summer - both because of the weather and because he was desperate to escape the south. Maria had made sympathetic noises at that, had told Duo all about _her_ childhood in South Carolina, and they both agreed that Duo should do his level best to find a permanent escape. Duo told Maria that he had a job for the summer at Bethel Playhouse, a summer stock theatre company not far from the site of the original Woodstock music festival. Maria had been excited at that news - had asked Duo what shows he would be in, but Duo had had to explain that he wasn't an actor, that he was a technician - just an intern.

Maria had winked and said she was sure Duo looked stunning in a toolbelt and had promised to come visit him.

 **Never been kissed by a drag queen. Check.**

When the bus arrived, Duo helped Maria with her bags and she gave him a kiss that, he was sure, probably left a mark on his cheek in her bright tangerine lipstick.

He waited until she was in the car with her friends and speeding away before he wiped at it, and he called the theatre's company manager, Cathy, to let her know that he had finally arrived.

The bus station was almost an hour away from the theatre, so she told him to sit tight.

So Duo sat on the curb with his duffle beside him and his backpack between his legs, and he watched people arrive and depart from the bus station.

It was surprisingly busy, considering how small Monticello, the sleepy little town, was. Still, it was bigger than Bethel - according to Google - and definitely bigger than the tiny dot on the map where Duo had grown up.

It was twilight when Cathy pulled up in a blue pick-up truck that had probably been new before Duo's dad had been able to drive.

He recognized her because, after Duo had been hired, she had sent him a facebook friend request. She was the only one - Duo had been emailed a full contact list for the technical staff, and not one other person had reached out to him, aside from the technical director, Millardo Peacecraft, who had emailed the scene shop staff to tell them what gear they should bring.

"Heya!" She greeted him with a smile, and grabbed his duffle bag before he could even stand.

"Hey." He tried to match her enthusiasm, but he was exhausted and hungry.

"Sounds like you've had _quite_ the journey, sorry you got held up in the city for so long."

Duo shrugged and jumped up into the cab of the truck.

"Worse places to be stuck."

"True - and at least the seats on the bus are comfortable. Meet anyone interesting?"

"Yeah - and I got a free makeup consult."

Cathy peered over at him, looking closely, and laughed.

"I _thought_ your eyes looked amazing! Well, let's get you to the Playhouse. Unfortunately, you've missed dinner - which means you've missed the Introduction and Ways Not To Die speeches. So I'll give you the rundown."

 **Never had to worry about getting eaten by a bear before. Check.**

It was only one of the _many_ natural dangers Cathy warned Duo about on the way back. As well as the expected - if you aren't twenty-one, don't drink, don't set the theatre on fire, don't do drugs on theatre property, don't burn candles in your room, do the cleaning chores you're assigned, don't be late to calls or meals, especially not to meals because dinner waits for no one at the Playhouse. And by the time she had finished, Cathy pulled into a gravel parking lot beside a large, well-cared-for but still ancient-looking barn.

It was huge, and red, with _Bethel Playhouse_ just visible on the sign out front in the darkness settling around them.

"Home sweet home," Cathy said as she parked the truck. "At least, for the next three months, it is."

Duo grabbed his bags before she could, and followed her out of the truck and around to the back of the theatre.

There was a large deck, which she explained was where the shows were rehearsed, and there was a gathering of people on it in lawn chairs, all with beers in hand.

"Everyone, this is Duo, our technical intern. Duo, meet the rest of the staff - or all the ones who live here at the theatre. Meilin - one of the carpenters, Heero - he's the master carpenter, Trowa - our master electrician _and_ the lucky bastard who gets to call himself my little brother, Wufei - the wardrobe supervisor, Hilde - the other carpenter, Dorothy - our sound designer, and Sylvia - our props master. Where's Quatre?"

"The bugs were eating him alive," Dorothy said with a careless shrug.

"Right, well, Quatre is your roommate, Duo, and our scenic artist. I'll take you inside and show you around. Save one for me, Trowa!" Cathy said to the tall man who stood up and moved towards a fridge with the words _Beer Fridge_ spray-painted on the front of it.

"We start tomorrow morning at nine-thirty," Heero said, the only greeting anyone offered Duo.

"Cool. Um… see you then."

Duo gave an awkward wave to the group of people and then followed Cathy inside.

"Most of them are second or third-timers. Actually… I think only you, Heero and Sylvia are new."

"Where is everyone else?" Duo asked, referring to the Technical Director, Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, and the various other designers - scenery, costumes and lights.

"Oh, we live in the guest housing by the lake, with the actors. _But_ I'm only a phone call away if you need anything. Okay, here is your room."

Cathy indicated a narrow stairway, and Duo arched an eyebrow.

She laughed. "You and Quatre are actually in the best room - it's above the tavern and it's pretty spacious."

"What's the catch?" Duo asked, finding it hard to believe that, as an _intern,_ he was being given a great room.

Cathy smirked. "You're smart. Well, aside from the creepy staircase, we also store costumes up here - so don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and Wufei is throwing stuff at you."

"Awesome," Duo muttered, but it really didn't sound that bad.

He hefted his bags.

"Okay, I'll leave you to it - unless you need anything else?" Cathy paused.

"Uh… I haven't eaten since breakfast. Is there anywhere I can go?"

"Oh. Shit. I should have stopped on our way here. I'm so sorry. Do you want me to take you out to get something?"

"No, I can walk - if there's something close by?"

Cathy nodded, and hooked a thumb over her shoulder.

"Yeah, about a mile-and-a-half down the road is Mike's. It's a biker bar, but they're all a good crowd. You know the intersection just before the theatre? Take a left and just keep walking, and it will be on your left, right on the lake. Can't miss it."

"Awesome. Thanks."

"I can give you a lift, if you want?" she offered, but Duo didn't want to hold her up. He knew she wanted to go join the crowd on the back deck.

"Nah, I like walking. Thanks, though."

"Alright - just remember, we lock up the theatre at midnight to keep out the bears, so be back before then."

"Ha. Yeah." She had to be joking, Duo realized. All of this bear talk - it had to be something they told new people, some kind of hazing ritual. You didn't have to _lock_ doors to keep bears out.

He walked up the stairs and gave a single knock on the closed door before opening it.

The room was _huge_ \- and more than half of it was filled with standing racks of clothes that ranged from suits of armor to giant, terrifying animal costumes.

 **Never shared a room with a demented Easter Bunny Costume. Check.**

There were two beds, two desks and two dresses shoved against the far wall. On one of the beds sat a blond haired guy who looked a few years older than Duo. He had a laptop open in front of him and a beer in one hand.

He looked up at Duo and smiled.

"You must be David!"

"Duo," he quickly corrected. The contact list had had his given name, David, but Duo hadn't gone by that in years.

"Duo," Quatre agreed, and set down his beer and offered his hand.

Duo shook it and felt himself relax in the other man's presence.

"Welcome to the Miracle in the Forest!" Quatre said, and gestured broadly.

Duo arched an eyebrow. "Miracle?"

Quatre nodded. "Wait 'til changeover - you'll understand."

"Right."

Duo tossed his bags onto the spare bed and pulled out a long-sleeved t-shirt to put on over his shirt. It had been almost ninety earlier in the day, but now that the sun had set it felt at least thirty degrees colder.

"So, I'm going to go to Mike's and grab dinner," Duo said, feeling weird walking out of the room after just meeting Quatre.

"Watch out for bears," Quatre said around the mouth of his beer.

"Right." Duo was pretty sure they were all joking about the bear thing. He hoped they were.

It was closer to two miles, and it was almost ten by the time Duo walked into the bar.

 **Never been in a bar before. Check.**

It was a Wednesday night, and the place was fairly empty - a couple of guys sat at the bar watching a Yankees game, two couples were at two different tables, the pool table had a game going, and a couple were playing darts in the far corner.

Duo walked up to the bar and slid into a seat.

It took almost ten minutes for the bartender to walk over to him.

"ID?" he asked.

"I, ah, I'm not twenty-one. I just need food and this was the closest place."

The bartender gave Duo a long, considering look.

"Kitchen's about to close - what do you want?"

"Whatever's easy. I really appreciate it."

"Burger and fries?"

Duo nodded eagerly. It sounded like heaven.

"Alright - don't try to trick one of my waitresses into giving you any alcohol," he wagged a finger in Duo's face.

"I won't," Duo promised.

The bartender gave him a long, lingering look, as though he was trying to decide whether or not he could trust Duo, but then he nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

While he waited for the food, Duo looked around the bar again, focusing on the pool table.

Two men were playing, but another two stood to one side, watching and drinking and offering encouragement and insults to the two pool players.

One, a short, round man wearing a leather jacket, dark jeans and an American flag t-shirt, looked like he was friends with the spectators.

The other man, however, looked very out of place in the biker bar.

He was tall and lean, with pale blond hair worn in a loose, messy bun at the back of his head and a cocky smirk on his face that was somewhere between sexy as hell and way too arrogant. He was wearing dark, fitted jeans and a navy sweater. He looked like a clothing ad.

And he knew how to play pool.

The bartender came back with Duo's food and offered him a coke as well.

While he ate, Duo watched the blond haired man win that game, and then another.

As Duo finished the last of his burger, the crew of bikers were grumbling and handing over several twenties to the man, who accepted them with an even broader smirk.

He looked like an asshole, Duo decided.

The man pocketed the money and walked over to the bar.

"Another Killians?" the bartender asked him, and the man nodded.

"Yeah, thanks, Mike."

The man slid onto the stool next to Duo, despite the fact that there were plenty of others.

Duo arched an eyebrow at him, and the man arched one in return.

"Are you a fan of pool or a fan of my ass?"

" _What?_ " Duo felt his face heat up, and the man laughed.

"You've been staring at me for the last forty minutes."

"I don't follow baseball," Duo said defensively.

The man's lips twitched, but he nodded and then took the beer from the bartender and took a long sip.

Duo looked away just as soon as he caught himself looking at the man's long, tan neck and the firm line of his jaw as he swallowed the beer.

"It _was_ pretty entertaining to empty those bikers' pockets," the man said.

"You think it's fun to beat guys who can't even cue up properly?" Duo asked, deciding that he _was_ an asshole.

The man gave Duo a long, measuring look.

"You think you'd be more of a challenge?"

Duo snorted. "I know I am."

The man took another long sip and then gave Duo an even longer look.

"Alright."

He stood up.

"Alright, what?" Duo frowned.

The man jerked his head towards the pool table.

"Entertain me."

There was something in his pale blue eyes, something to the tilt of his lips, that made it very clear that he wasn't just talking about pool.

Duo swallowed hard, took a last sip of his coke, and slid fifteen dollars onto the bar beside his empty plate.

"If you think you're up to it," Duo retorted.

The man chuckled, the sound grating, but also… Duo felt his pulse speed up.

This guy was gorgeous, his voice made Duo think of sex, and his smirk made Duo want to punch him in the face.

"Zechs," the man said, and held out his hand.

"Duo." He shook the man's hand, and found himself blushing again when his skin tingled at the contact.

They walked over to the pool table, and Duo drew in a deep, steadying breath.

For five years he had lived in a foster home with a couple who built and upholstered custom billiards tables. It had been the best - and the longest - place he had ever stayed.

Among other things, Duo had learned a lot about pool.

He planned to put all of that knowledge to good use now and fleece this asshole for all the money he had just made off the bikers.

"Twenty dollars for the game?" Zechs offered.

Duo sneered. "Race you to five."

Zechs arched an eyebrow. "For twenty?"

"No - how much did you just make off of those guys?"

Zechs smirked. "Sixty."

Duo nodded. "Sounds good."

Zechs gave Duo another of his long, considering looks. "I saw your wallet when you paid. You don't have sixty."

Duo grinned. "But you do - and soon enough, I will."

Instead of being offended or turning him down, Zechs just smirked and stepped closer, until his narrow hips were fitted against Duo's.

Duo realized just how tall Zechs was then, at least six inches taller, and his broad shoulders made him seem even larger.

"I'll expect payment when I win," Zechs said, his voice pitched low, and Duo shivered.

 **Never been propositioned by a hot guy before. Check.**

"So will I," Duo said, and Zechs just smirked again and stepped away.

Duo drew a deep breath and mentally berated himself.

He needed to stop thinking about the fact that Zechs could probably be a model, or a porn star - something that involved showing off his lean body - and instead focus on winning.

The first game went fast. Duo let Zechs have it, taking the opportunity to watch his style up close and get the measure of him.

When Zechs neatly pocketed the eight ball, he shot Duo a triumphant look, but Duo just smirked back.

The next game went by even quicker, with Duo winning before Zechs could even sink two of his balls, and the blond haired man's smirk started to waver.

The third game was closer, but Duo won that one as well, and Zechs' face took on a look of concentration that, Duo had to admit, was even sexier than his arrogant, cocky smirk.

Duo was shocked when Zechs won the fourth game.

Even more shocked when he won the fifth. And the sixth.

As Zechs lined up his first shot for the seventh and - if Duo was unlucky - final game, Duo realized there was a very real chance he was going to lose here.

And then what?

Zechs wanted payment - and he'd made it pretty clear what he was expecting.

When Zechs scratched after sinking three balls, Duo let out an audible sigh of relief.

He took up his position and set about clearing the table, focusing solely on the balls, looking for angles, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to win this game _and_ the next two games without letting Zechs win one.

Duo had managed to sink all of the striped balls, and looked over the table to see where to send the solid black eight ball.

"Corner pocket," he decided, and indicated it with his cue.

He leaned over the table and started to line up his shot, and just as he drew back the cue, Zechs leaned his hip against the table, just beside the corner pocket, and his sweater rode up enough to reveal a sliver of tanned flesh.

Duo swallowed hard, and had to realign his shot.

"Am I distracting you?" Zechs asked in a tone that implied he was well-aware that he was.

"Not at all. I didn't even notice you there." Duo flicked his eyes up and saw Zechs' eyes narrow. He smirked, looked back at the table, and sank the eight ball.

Four games to three.

Duo won the next game, not even giving Zechs the chance to shoot, and then they were all tied up.

Duo couldn't help but feel a little cocky, a little giddy, as he lined up to break the last set.

"Nervous?" he asked Zechs, unable to resist rubbing this in his face.

Zechs arched one pale eyebrow.

"I don't see why I should be. Besides, I'm too busy thinking about how you're going to pay me."

Zechs smirked when Duo flushed and licked his lips.

"Well, you're entitled to your daydreams, I guess," Duo said, and Zechs chuckled.

"That I am," he drawled. "And I'm having some very pleasant ones at the moment. Did you know you do this thing - you bite your bottom lip when you're concentrating. Yes. _That_."

Duo scratched.

He scratched on the _break_.

Face red, humiliation coursing through his body, Duo stepped aside and hung his head, waiting for Zechs to make a cutting remark.

"Go again."

"What?" Duo looked up at him.

"Go again." Zechs rolled the cue ball towards Duo.

"But it's your-"

"I'm not going to win off of that." The words were part generous - part arrogant. Zechs was assuming that he would be able to pocket all of his balls before Duo would have another shot.

Duo drew in a deep breath, fighting the urge to toss the ball back at Zechs, and lined it up again.

The rack broke cleanly, the crisp _crack_ sending them scattering across the table. Two striped balls rolls into pockets and one solid.

"I'll take solids," Duo decided, giving Zechs the advantage.

Zechs smirked and nodded.

"Have it your way."

Duo couldn't think of retort that wasn't at least a vague insinuation, so he lowered his head and set about trying to clear the table.

With just the seven ball left of the solids, Duo missed.

He swore and stepped aside.

"Impressive," Zechs said as he chalked his cue stick.

"Entertaining even?" Duo offered.

Zechs chuckled and nodded.

"Even that."

And then he calmly and efficiently pocketed all of the striped balls, until only the seven and the eight balls remained on the table.

Duo felt his stomach sink.

"Center pocket." Zechs pointed to the pocket on his left, just beside where Duo was leaning against the table.

He stepped back.

"No, no, I chose it because you were there," Zechs said, gesturing for Duo to lean back against the table.

Duo rolled his eyes, wondering if there was some way to harness Zechs' arrogance - it would probably produce more energy than a nuclear power plant.

Zechs smirked and then, almost lazily, sank the eight ball.

 _Fuck_.

 **Never lost a race to five. Check.**

That had _not_ been one of the things Duo had wanted to mark off his list of nevers.

He sighed, and put his stick back into the rack and waited for Zechs to do the same.

"Look, I- ah, I'm not-"

"Trying to weasel out of my payment?" Zechs looked amused again.

Duo was glad he was providing the other man with so much amusement - maybe _that_ was payment enough.

Zechs stepped close, once again ignoring Duo's personal space. And as attractive as Duo found him, Duo also thought he was an arrogant asshole and there was no _way_ he was going to just blow him or screw him, or _whatever_ he had in mind.

Zechs held out his right hand.

Duo frowned, looking between the outstretched hand and Zechs' smirking face.

"Dance with me."

"What?"

"My payment. I want one dance."

"You - you're serious?"

"Unless you've managed to scrounge up sixty dollars when I wasn't looking, yes."

Duo licked his lips, looking around the bar. He was surprised to realize it was almost completely empty - only the guys watching the Yankees game, the bartender, Zechs and Duo remained.

"Is that… a good idea?"

Zechs arched an eyebrow again.

"That depends on how bad you are at dancing."

Duo rolled his eyes. "No, I mean- in front of-"

"I've been coming here for years. You won't be the first guy Mike has seen me dance with."

"Oh."

For some reason, Duo felt almost as anxious about the prospect of dancing with Zechs as he had felt about the idea of trading sex as payment for the lost pool game.

But he put his hand out and Zechs wrapped his fingers around Duo's, his grip firm and yet, somehow, gentle.

Zechs led Duo away from the pool table and to a clear spot of the floor, and Duo realized this was really happening.

 **Never danced with a guy before. Check.**

He could barely even hear the music - some awful country ballad that Duo had never heard before - but Zechs didn't seem to care about the music. He pulled Duo close and slid a hand around his back, fingers splayed wide.

Duo could _feel_ the heat and strength of Zechs, his hands practically burning Duo where they touched him.

He drew in a deep breath, told himself to relax, and put his free hand on Zechs' shoulder.

"I haven't come that close to losing a pool game since I was sixteen," Zechs said, his breath warm against the top of Duo's ear.

"I've _never_ lost a race to five," Duo complained.

Zechs chuckled, and pressed against his chest, Duo could feel the way it made his body vibrate.

"First time for everything," Zechs offered as a consolation.

"Yeah. Like this - I've never danced with a guy in a biker bar before."

"I could tell."

Duo pulled away enough to glare up at Zechs, but the smirk the other man wore as he looked down at Duo was… fond? Tender, in a way that took Duo's breath away.

"I'm not that bad."

"No," Zechs assured him. "Just tense." He moved his hand over Duo's spine in a gesture that was probably meant to be comforting, but absolutely was not.

Duo bit his lips and forced himself not to lean even closer to Zechs.

"So just how many guys _do_ you dance with here?" Duo had to ask.

Zechs chuckled. "Jealous?"

"No, just curious."

"You're the first in a while," Zechs said. "At least this week."

"Ha. Ha."

But Duo found himself smirking, just a little, and finally gave in to his desire to be closer to Zechs. He rested his cheek against Zechs' shoulder.

They danced in silence for a while, long enough for Duo to realize that the last awful country song had ended and a new one had begun.

"I like your hair," Zechs said, his voice a little muffled by the top of Duo's head, but his fingers teased at the end of Duo's braid. "It's longer than mine."

"Probably not by much." Duo pulled back and looked at how heavy Zechs' bun was.

"At least a few inches," Zechs said with a shrug. "I've never thought to braid mine."

"Keeps it out of the way, for the most part."

Zechs nodded, but his lips tipped up in a wicked smile.

"It's a bit too tempting though."

"Tempting?"

Zechs wrapped his hand in the braid, tugging on Duo's head, just a little, until his face was tilted up at Zechs.

"Very."

He leaned down and brushed his lips over Duo's.

 **Never been kissed in a bar. Check.**

 **Never been kissed by a really hot, really fucking arrogant stranger. Check.**

Duo stood, frozen in shock, while his heart tried to beat its way out of his chest.

Zechs pulled away slowly.

"I-" Duo had no idea what he wanted to say.

"Let's try that again," Zechs suggested, arrogant smirk back in place.

Duo nodded and, before Zechs could lean down again, Duo stood up on his toes and pressed his mouth to Zechs'.

He could feel the other man's smirk dissolve, could feel Zechs shift and pull him closer, and Duo knew this was reckless - knew it was probably a _very_ bad idea - and if he was still in Georgia, it was the kind of idea that would get his ass kicked.

But it felt so damn good to press against Zechs, to open his lips and suck on Zechs' lower lip, to swallow his groan, to feel his fingers curl into Duo's back and hold him close.

Duo wasn't sure how much time had passed, wasn't even sure the earth was still moving, but he slowly became aware of the sound of someone clapping, very slowly and very loudly.

Zechs pulled away, and Duo looked past him to see the bartender staring at them as he continued to slow clap.

"It's last call, Zechs. You two might want to take this elsewhere."

Duo pulled out his phone.

It was one a.m.

 _Shit_.

Zechs moved away, pulling out his wallet, and deposited a stack of bills on the bar.

"See you later, Mike."

"Later, Zechs."

The blond haired man moved back over to Duo and arched an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Well?" Duo echoed.

Zechs smirked, and brushed his thumb over Duo's lips.

"Want to take this elsewhere?"

Duo swallowed hard, at the heat in Zechs' eyes, at his own racing pulse.

Part of him was screaming ' _hell, yes!'_ But another part, the same part that worried about getting his ass kicked if he was too gay in public, the same part that had forced him to get a cab to Port Authority instead of risking another attempted mugging, was telling him ' _hell, no, you idiot.'_

"I, uh-"

Zechs kissed him again, his tongue a caress against Duo's lips until Duo opened his mouth, and then Zechs' tongue was sweeping through him, possessive and fierce, and Duo clutched Zechs' shoulders to steady himself.

 _Holy hell. YES._

Duo wasn't surprised to see Zechs smirking when he pulled away again.

"Yeah," Duo said, not caring how eager he sounded. "Let's take this elsewhere."

Zechs took Duo's hand again and led him out of the bar, around to the parking lot, and pressed Duo's body against the side of a battered Jeep.

"How's this?" Zechs asked, leaning close, fitting his long, lean body against Duo's, and Duo could feel just how much _Zechs_ was enjoying this.

The other man's cock was a hot, hard length trapped in his jeans, and Duo moaned at the feel of it against his belly.

Zechs chuckled and reached down with his right hand, skimming over Duo's chest and down to his crotch.

"Fuck," Duo breathed when Zechs caressed him through Duo's cargo shorts, rubbing his thumb over Duo's erection.

Zechs chuckled again and Duo reached up, using both hands to tug Zechs' head down to his and kiss him again, intent on smothering his laughter.

 **Never made out with a stranger in a parking lot. Check.**

Zechs tasted like beer and heat and arrogance, and Duo found himself aching for more.

He strained under Zechs' touch, until the other man, his tongue still tangled with Duo's in Duo's mouth, eased open Duo's fly and reached inside.

Duo pulled back from the kiss with a gasp.

"No?" Zechs asked, his hand stilling.

"No- I mean, not no. Yes. Fuck yes. I just- oh fuck."

Zechs fisted Duo's cock and gave it a long, slow tug that Duo felt all the way down to his toes.

"So you don't want me to stop?"

Duo shook his head and leaned back against the Jeep.

"Hell no. Please don't stop."

 **Never had a hand job. Check.**

 **Never had a stranger give me a hand job. Check.**

Zechs smirked and trailed his mouth over Duo's lips, his jaw and to his ear.

"Since you said _please_ ," he murmured, his hot breath making Duo shiver.

Zechs bit down on Duo's earlobe, the bite gentle, and Duo shuddered and moaned.

"What do you want?" Zechs asked him, still stroking Duo's cock.

"I-" Duo had no idea what to say, and he flushed. This was all very, very new for him.

"Do you want to come for me?"

" _Yes_ ," Duo moaned. He couldn't believe how arousing it was to hear Zechs ask him that question.

"What do you need? Harder? Faster? Slower?"

"Hard- harder- like- fuck, fuck, yes." Duo clutched Zechs' shoulders, and he closed his eyes.

Zechs was handling Duo's cock as though he knew exactly what he needed, what he liked, even without having to ask.

His hand was larger than Duo's, and his long fingers were able to wrap around the girth of Duo's cock as he tugged at the hard flesh.

Zechs' hand felt a hell of a lot better than Duo's own ever had.

Duo thrust, helpless, into Zechs' hand.

"God, you're beautiful," Zechs said.

 **Never been called beautiful. Check.**

Duo opened his eyes and found himself transfixed by Zechs' gaze.

The parking lot was illuminated only by a distant, flickering streetlight and the soft glow of the moon overhead. But it was enough light for Duo to see Zechs' face, to make out the sensuous curve of his mouth and the heavy-lidded look of desire aimed at Duo.

Duo pulled him down for another kiss and Zechs obliged, his teeth catching Duo's lower lip and dragging it into his mouth.

The rough treatment made Duo moan, and he felt the pressure in his groin intensify, felt himself on the cusp of orgasm, and he kissed Zechs back, almost frantic with desire.

He tangled his hands in Zechs' hair, burying his fingers in the fine strands and tugging.

Duo came with a shout, swallowed into Zechs' mouth, and the taller man held him while Duo's hips jerked with the aftershock of orgasm, his hand gentling as it continued to stroke him through it.

Duo felt his heartbeat gradually slow, and he eased back from Zechs' mouth.

Zechs was, predictably, smirking down at him.

"Come home with me."

"What?" Duo felt euphoric and exhausted in equal measure - his limbs heavy and weightless at the same time - and it was a strange feeling to work through.

"I don't want to fuck you in the back seat of my car. But I _do_ want to fuck you." Zechs' eyes were impossible to look away from.

"Please," Zechs added.

"Yeah, okay."

Zechs stepped away and Duo tucked himself back into his shorts, relieved that there wasn't a mess down the front of them.

He waited for Zechs to unlock the Jeep and then he climbed into the passenger seat.

When the overhead light flickered on, Zechs looked over at Duo and smirked again.

So Duo leaned over and kissed him, easily wiping the smirk from his face.

It was another few minutes before Zechs finally started the engine.

They were silent during the drive, anticipation and a fair amount of anxiety coiling in Duo's belly.

He drummed his fingers against the center console, wondering what the hell he was doing - wondering just how much he was going to regret this.

He _should_ be in bed, at the theatre, trying not to think about bears. Not going to some local guy's house and having sex.

This was absolutely not the way Duo had thought his first night at the theatre would go.

-o-


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: As always, thank you so, so much to Ro and Maeve for everything you do, but in particular for beta-reading this.

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Two

Zechs parked in front of a house that backed up to the lake. There were a few other cars in the lot, and a few more on the street that Duo didn't look at closely.

The house was large, and a few lights were on despite the late hour.

Duo got out of the car and started to walk towards the front door.

"No, this way." Zechs held out his hand and Duo, trying to decide if this made him feel like a child or not, took it.

Zechs knitted their fingers together and Duo decided that no, it did _not_ make him feel like a child.

He followed Zechs past the house and saw a small, rather neglected bungalow closer to the water.

"This is me," Zechs said, somewhat unnecessarily, as he pulled Duo towards the door.

Zechs dropped his hand to unlock the door, and held it open for Duo.

He stepped inside the dark interior, but a moment later Zechs flicked on the lights.

It was small, and completely without personal effects of any kind.

They were standing in a kitchen that was just big enough to turn around in, with a small, two-person cafe table shoved against the opposite wall. There were two doors that led away from the kitchen, both open. Duo could see a bathroom through the door on the left, and straight ahead, through the other door, a bedroom.

Zechs stepped past Duo, took his hand again, and pulled him towards the bedroom.

The bed, pushed against one wall, was narrow enough that Duo arched an eyebrow at Zechs.

"You don't take up much room," Zechs pointed out.

"True."

There was a rolling suitcase pushed against another wall, beside a dresser, and a small desk with a laptop and printer sat under the room's one window.

"I like what you've done with the place," Duo said, feeling the need to talk as his nervousness got the better of him.

Zechs snorted. "I'm only here for the summer."

"Oh." Duo was actually relieved by that - it meant Zechs was just a tourist, and not a local after all. That meant, if this turned into a complete disaster - which Duo was pretty sure it would any second now - he probably wouldn't have to see Zechs ever again.

Zechs sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding Duo's hand, and guided him to stand between his thighs.

Letting go of Duo's hand, Zechs leaned over and turned on a small lamp, flooding the room with warm light.

Duo bit his lip as he tried to figure out what to do, what Zechs wanted him to do.

"You're doing it again," Zechs said.

"What?"

"Biting your lip. What are you concentrating on?"

Duo snorted. "Not making a fool of myself."

Zechs arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on. You-" Duo gestured at Zechs' body "-have to know how hot you are. It's intimidating as hell."

Zechs smirked, but some of the arrogant edge was softened by the obvious appreciation in his gaze as he looked over Duo's body.

"I'm not the only one who's hot as hell," Zechs said.

Duo shook his head.

"Don't-"

"Don't what? Appreciate the view?"

Zechs leaned back on his elbows.

"It's my house. If I want to tell a gorgeous guy he's hot, I can do that."

Duo rolled his eyes. "It's your house for the summer - and I think calling this place a _house_ is a little insulting to all houses, everywhere."

"Probably," Zechs agreed. "I have an idea."

Duo arched an eyebrow and waited to hear it.

"Kiss me again, and stop worrying about making a fool of yourself."

Duo swallowed hard and looked down at Zechs, spread out on the bed, his thighs bracketing Duo's.

Never climbed into bed with someone before. Check.

Duo crawled over Zechs' body and straddled him, smirking when Zechs' hands came up to rest on his hips. Zechs smoothed his hands under both of Duo's shirts, skimming his bare skin.

"What's in it for me?" Duo asked, feeling tentatively emboldened by Zechs' touch.

Zechs arched an eyebrow, but he smirked again, and it was clear he was enjoying this.

"What do you want?"

"I want to see your hair down."

"You know it'll just get in the way," Zechs said, with a meaningful look at Duo's braid.

Duo knew no such thing, and he shrugged.

Zechs sighed, but he moved his hands and tugged his hair until it spilled across the comforter on the bed, his blond hair so pale it was almost silver.

Duo reached out to touch it, but Zechs caught his hand.

"I believe you owe me a kiss," Zechs said.

So Duo leaned down and kissed him, enjoying the way Zechs' hands wrapped around him and cupped his ass.

The kiss was somewhere between playful and aggressive, just like it had been before, with Zechs and Duo fighting for control of it, and while Duo was pretty sure he didn't win the battle, he definitely enjoyed it.

As the kiss continued, Zechs ran his hands over Duo's back, under his shirts, slowly pushing them upwards.

Zechs reached around to rub his thumbs over Duo's nipples and Duo, who had never even thought to touch _himself_ there, moaned embarrassingly loudly into Zechs' mouth.

He had thought, foolishly he now realized, that only girls had sensitive nipples.

Or maybe there was something wrong with him. Maybe he _shouldn't_ find Zechs' touch that arousing.

Duo shifted his hands over Zechs' chest, rucking up his sweater and skimming over his taut stomach until he reached Zechs' chest. He smoothed his hands over the hard nubs and Zechs shifted under Duo, arching into his touch ever-so-slightly.

 _Interesting_.

Duo took a risk, and rolled one of Zechs' nipples between his fingers.

Zechs groaned, and his hips bucked up against Duo's groin.

 _Very interesting._

Duo couldn't help but smirk against Zechs' mouth. Which turned out to be a definite mistake.

Zechs pinched Duo's right nipple, his touch not quite gentle, and Duo felt a rush of pain and pleasure.

Never had someone pinch my nipples to make me feel good. Check.

He broke away from kissing Zechs and drew in a deep, shuddering breath.

"These need to come off," Zechs said, pushing at Duo's shirts.

Duo completely agreed, and he pulled them off and carelessly tossed them across the room.

Zechs chuckled, his eyes gleaming as he looked over Duo's bare torso.

"Still enjoying the view?" Duo asked.

"Mmm," Zechs hummed appreciatively. He shifted his hands, wrapping them around Duo's waist, and sat up in a smooth motion that made Duo think he probably had incredible abs.

Zechs bent his head forward and ran his tongue around Duo's left nipple in a teasing caress.

Duo fisted his hands into Zechs' loose hair when the other man took the tender flesh into his mouth, sucking and biting down until Duo moaned again.

"What do you want?" Zechs asked, pulling away from Duo's chest to press a kiss to his neck, laving at the pulsepoint until Duo arched his back.

"You," Duo moaned. "I want you."

He felt Zechs' smirk against his skin.

"What me to what?"

"Fuck me," Duo begged. "Please."

"Say it again."

"Fuck me."

"No, say please again."

Duo pulled away from Zechs and glared at him, but Zechs was still smirking, completely unrepentant, completely arrogant.

" _Please_ ," Duo said, lowering his voice. "Please fuck me, Zechs."

And then Zechs was kissing him again, his pleasure at Duo's words very, _very_ obvious from the way he seemed to be trying to swallow Duo whole.

Zechs' hands roamed back to Duo's ass, squeezing his cheeks roughly, and Duo rocked against him, feeling the hard length of Zechs' clothed cock under him and trying to rub against it.

His own cock, once again hard and aching, felt increasingly uncomfortable trapped in his shorts.

Zechs pushed him away.

"Let me get a condom, and some lube."

Duo shifted away, standing up and letting Zechs get off the bed.

He walked over to the rolling suitcase and laid it down on the floor, and started to unzip pockets in search of supplies.

"I'm surprised you didn't unpack those first," Duo said.

Zechs gave Duo a look over his shoulder.

"I didn't count on meeting _you_ tonight," he said.

Duo chuckled.

"Make yourself useful and get naked," Zechs instructed.

Duo swallowed hard, realizing that, yeah, this was going to happen.

He fumbled with the fly of his shorts, glad that Zechs wasn't watching, but then pushed the shorts and his boxers down. He stepped out of them and then toed off his boots and socks.

And then he stood there, naked, his cock jutting out in front of him, and tried not to let his nerves get to him.

It was another minute before Zechs found what he was looking for, and he turned around with a triumphant smirk, condoms in one hand and a small, clear bottle of something labeled with _Swiss Navy_ in the other.

"Fuck," Zechs breathed, looking at Duo's naked body, "you're incredible."

Duo flushed at the praise. _He_ certainly didn't think that whenever he looked in the mirror.

But Zechs… Zechs definitely seemed to appreciate the view.

Duo gestured towards Zechs.

"Won't this work better if you're naked, too?"

Zechs shook himself.

"Generally, although now that you mention it, the idea of fucking you while I'm still dressed has a certain allure."

Duo glared and shook his head.

"Nope. Get naked. Now."

Zechs smirked and stood up. "As you wish."

He pulled off his sweater and Duo gaped.

Zechs was lean, but his torso was muscled, and his abs looked like they belonged in an underwear ad.

"Do I pass inspection?" Zechs asked, in a voice that made it clear he knew he did.

Duo nodded and forced his mouth closed.

Zechs stepped out of his shoes and then unfastened his jeans. He pulled them off slowly, stepping out of them and removing his socks at the same time, until he was standing in front of Duo in just a pair of black briefs.

Duo stared at the outline of Zechs' cock and swallowed hard.

 _Holy shit, what the hell am I doing?_

Duo had watched porn. He knew, theoretically, what happened next was going to be Zechs fucking him, but Duo had no idea how they got from _here_ to that point.

Porn didn't tend to show the awkward parts between kissing and fucking, and Duo knew there _had_ to be something in between.

Duo scratched the back of his neck.

"I, um, I… What, um…"

Zechs arched an eyebrow, and Duo realized that he sounded like an idiot. Like a virginal idiot.

Which was exactly what he was.

He drew a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

"What you do want?" he asked, borrowing the question from Zechs.

Zechs arched an eyebrow.

"I want you to look a little less terrified."

Duo laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, about that. I-"

"You're a virgin."

Duo swallowed and looked away from Zechs' narrowed gaze. He nodded.

"Yeah. I… yeah. I am."

Zechs snorted, and Duo looked up at him. Zechs shook his head.

"What?"

"I'm just glad I didn't fuck you in the back of my Jeep."

"I thought that was where most people lost their virginity anyway."

"In the back of _my_ Jeep?" Zechs sounded almost offended.

Duo rolled his eyes. "No, I meant in the backseat of a car."

"I know what you meant."

Zechs' expression turned serious. "What do you want?" The question wasn't playful this time.

Duo bit his lower lip, and he considered.

"I want you to fuck me," he said after a moment.

Zechs smiled then, a lopsided expression that was so different from his arrogant smirk that Duo found himself staring.

Zechs was gorgeous - with a body to match - but that single expression transformed his face into devastatingly handsome.

Duo watched as Zechs hooked his fingers in the waistband of his briefs and pulled them down his thighs, and then let them fall to the floor.

He wasn't fully erect anymore - neither was Duo - but the sight of his half-hard cock and the thick, dark blond curls of his groin made Duo's mouth go dry.

Zechs closed the space between them and ran his hands over Duo's back and down to his ass, resting his hands on Duo's cheeks.

"Now, where were we?"

"I don't know what to do- I mean, how to-"

"I do," Zechs said, and kissed Duo.

He sat back on the bed, pulling Duo into his lap again, their position the same as it had been before they had undressed and Duo had made his confession.

It was clear, from the way Zechs kept his touch light and almost gentle, that he was afraid Duo would freak out at any second.

Duo pulled back from the kiss and glared at Zechs.

"You know, I was a virgin five minutes ago, too."

Zechs arched an eyebrow in question.

Duo sighed, and decided to just take matters into his own hands.

He reached down and pinched Zechs' nipple, while at the same time kissing him again, forcefully pushing his tongue into Zechs' mouth.

Zechs caught on and kissed Duo back, matching him, fighting him again, and Duo relaxed into it, into Zechs' hands as they ran over his chest and down to his groin.

Duo's breath caught when Zechs wrapped his hand around Duo's cock, slowly but surely working him back to a full erection.

Zechs pulled back from their kiss, his lips still almost touching Duo's.

"Show me what you like," Zechs said, his voice a breathy growl.

Duo had to close his eyes and bite his lip to keep from moaning - he really didn't think Zechs needed any pointers. He seemed to have figured out what Duo liked all on his own just fine.

Zechs leaned forward, nose and lips running over Duo's throat, and Duo shuddered.

 _Fuck_. Every touch felt like fire, felt like electricity singing through Duo's veins.

He opened his eyes and met Zechs' pale, confident gaze.

The arrogant smirk was back, and Duo decided it needed to go.

He licked his palm, holding Zechs' gaze, and then reached down to take Zechs' cock in his hand.

It was bigger than Duo's, just a little longer but definitely thicker, and Duo forced himself _not_ to think too much about that fact at the moment.

Zechs' eyes went wide, and he made an inarticulate sound.

The smirk, Duo was pleased to see, fell away, and Duo felt like smirking himself when Zechs' free hand clutched at Duo's braid, as if he was desperate for an anchor.

"That's not what I meant," Zechs moaned as Duo worked his hand up and down the stiff length.

"I know what you meant," Duo assured him.

Zechs' eyes narrowed, and it was clear that he was trying to decide whether or not to be annoyed with Duo.

Duo tightened his hold on Zechs and ran his thumb down to his balls, fondling the sensitive skin there, and Zechs closed his eyes and hissed.

It felt good, to have Zechs this off-balance, this far from his smirking, arrogant self, and Duo couldn't help but feel a little arrogant himself.

Until Zechs opened his eyes and, a smirk slowly spreading across his lips, removed his hand from Duo's cock and licked it, mimicking Duo's earlier gesture.

He wrapped his cool, wet palm around Duo again and matched Duo's rhythm, copying his every movement as Duo tried his best to get another reaction out of Zechs.

It was like playing pool all over again - Duo thinking he had the upper hand and then Zechs very quickly proving that, no, Duo was just playing _his_ game.

It felt like a competition, like another race to five, and Duo was determined not to lose again.

Zechs' lips were parted, his breathing just as rough and unsteady as Duo's, his face and chest flushed and his eyes hooded, and he was, by far, the sexiest man Duo had ever seen.

"Stop," Zechs moaned. "Stop."

Duo stilled his hand and frowned. Had he done something wrong?

"I- Sorry, I didn't-"

Zechs pressed a quick, hard kiss to Duo's mouth.

"I was too close," he explained.

Duo grinned. "Oh, really?" He started to move his hand again, but Zechs reached down and wrapped his larger hand around Duo's, holding him in place.

"Really," Zechs confirmed, "and I'd rather wait and come inside you, if you don't mind."

There was a careful, questioning tone to Zechs' voice.

"Yeah," Duo agreed. "That sounds good."

"Then do you mind if I…?" Zechs reached over for the lube. "Or did you want to do it yourself?"

Duo blushed, feeling, yet again, like an idiotic virgin.

"Um…"

Zechs smirked and kissed him again, teasing Duo's lips with gentle nips, until Duo opened for him and Zechs slid his tongue inside.

Duo forgot all about the lube, about the competition to get each other off, about everything except for the feel of Zechs' tongue as it curled around his.

Duo had kissed before - had had a fairly memorable makeout session with Alice Riley in 10th grade that resulted in Duo deciding he didn't care for boobs all that much; had had an even more memorable, unfortunately so, kiss with one of the senior theatre majors at CSU in the spring, during the _Hamlet_ cast party, and Duo had decided that he really, really didn't care for being made an object of ridicule when the guy, Tom Scott, had literally swept Duo off his feet and kissed him in front of the entire department while everyone else cheered and whistled. But none of his experiences, the good, the bad or the forgettable, compared to kissing Zechs.

It felt incredible, and Duo would be happy to just sit here and do _that_ all night, every night.

He felt the cool, slick press of a finger against his anus.

Duo froze at the intrusion.

"No?" Zechs asked.

Duo shook his head. "It's okay. I just… You were trying to distract me."

"And failing," Zechs said with a rueful grin.

"I don't need to be distracted," Duo told him. "I'd rather know it's coming."

Zechs nodded. "Fair enough. This is just one finger. Tell me to stop, whenever you need me to."

Duo swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

"Try to relax," Zechs suggested, smoothing his other hand down Duo's back, his touch light.

Duo nodded again and shifted, spreading his legs a little wider as he continued to straddle Zechs, thinking to give him more room.

He shivered when Zechs pushed against him again, his lube-slicked finger feeling so very different than anything Duo had ever experienced before.

Once, two years ago, Duo had tried to finger himself in the shower. He hadn't been impressed with the results, had only managed to work two fingers into himself and had felt awkward and tense, and he'd wondered how the hell this was supposed to feel good.

"Let me in," Zechs said, his voice almost a plea.

It was an effort to relax more, to unclench his muscles and let Zechs slide one long finger into Duo's body.

It didn't hurt, but it felt… very bizarre. Duo could feel the pressure of Zechs' touch, could feel the movement of his finger sliding deeper.

"This okay?"

Duo nodded, glad he didn't have to speak.

And then Zechs curled his finger, and it glanced across something in Duo's body.

" _Fuck!"_

Zechs smirked.

"Still okay?"

"Hell yes," Duo panted, arching his back in an effort to force Zechs' finger back to that spot.

Zechs obliged him, and Duo moaned. It felt incredible, almost as intense as an orgasm, and Duo suddenly understood why this was a thing.

"More," he demanded.

"More what?" Zechs sounded amused.

"More than just your finger," Duo bit out. "I want your cock."

"Not yet," Zechs chuckled. "But how about two fingers?"

Duo glared, but Zechs merely lifted an eyebrow, unmoved by the look.

"Yeah, two fingers," Duo reluctantly agreed.

This time, it did hurt, Duo's muscles burning as they stretched to accommodate Zechs' fingers, and Duo was glad that Zechs hadn't let him have his way.

"Still okay?"

"It hurts, a little," Duo admitted.

Zechs nodded. "It'll pass, just stay relaxed. Will it distract you too much if I kiss you again?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you you're kind of an asshole?"

"No, you're the first," Zechs said with a smirk, but he leaned forward and kissed Duo, silencing his comeback for that.

By the time Duo had to pull away for air, the two fingers still buried inside of his rectum no longer burned, and he shifted, rocking against them, until he found that spot again.

He moaned and wrapped his arms around Zechs' neck, steadying himself as he moved.

"Look at you, fucking yourself on my hand." Zechs sounded as if he was enjoying watching Duo as much as Duo was enjoying doing it.

He tugged on Duo's braid. "Do you want more?"

"Yes," Duo crooned. "Fuck yes."

He was expecting Zechs to reach for the condom, but instead, he pulled his fingers out and then, slowly, worked three back in.

It burned, again, and Duo forced himself to breathe through it, until it was just a dull twinge.

"I'm okay," Duo said, before Zechs could ask.

Zechs rubbed his fingers over the knot inside Duo's body, sending pleasure sparking through him again. Duo lifted his hips and slid back down Zechs' fingers, feeling full, feeling pressure, feeling incredible pleasure.

Duo realized he had been neglecting Zechs, had completely abandoned his cock and focused solely on his own pleasure.

He reached between them and wrapped one hand around Zechs' cock again, stroking it in time to Zechs' fingers thrusting into his body.

Zechs hummed in approval.

"How do you want to do this?" Zechs asked him. "Do you want to lay down, or-"

"Like this. Can we stay like this?" Duo had seen people fuck like this, in porn, and while he was rapidly realizing that porn and real sex were _very_ different, he was pretty sure this was possible.

"Yes," Zechs agreed, "we can stay like this."

He withdrew his fingers, and Duo was left with the wholly new sensation of feeling open and empty.

Zechs picked up the condom with his clean hand and used his teeth to rip it open.

Duo watched him roll it down his cock, watched him smooth lube over the slick casing and stroke himself a few times.

"Ready?" Zechs asked him, once again serious.

"Yeah," Duo replied, once again nervous.

Zechs pushed at Duo's hips, until he rose up enough for Zechs to slide his cock under and behind Duo.

The head of Zechs' cock was definitely broader than three fingers, and it burned - it _hurt -_ as it passed through Duo's body.

He gripped Zechs' shoulders, digging his fingers in, and he was pretty sure he was going to leave bruises, pretty sure he might even be breaking the other man's skin, but _fuck_.

"Shh," Zechs was running his hands over Duo's back, whispering to him, soothing him. "Just relax, Duo."

The pain had passed, when Zechs was using his fingers, but his cock was a _lot_ more substantial than his fingers had been.

Duo tried to move, wiggling on Zechs' lap, and _that_ was a mistake. He winced and sucked in a breath.

"Do you want me to pull out?"

"It gets better, right? Like before - it gets better?"

"Yes, it gets better," Zechs assured him, running one hand over Duo's hair while the other continued to stroke his back. "It gets a _lot_ better," he added.

"Okay, then I'm fine. Just- give me a minute."

"I'm in no rush," Zechs said, smirking again.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Do you know how annoying your smirk is?"

"It's my best feature," Zechs countered.

"Well _that_ explains a lot," Duo muttered, and Zechs laughed, deep and rich, and Duo felt it reverberate through his body.

He shifted down, taking more of Zechs' long cock into his body, and while it was still uncomfortable, it didn't hurt, exactly.

"Fuck, _Duo_ ," Zechs moaned as Duo slowly impaled himself.

Duo looked up to see the other man's eyes were closed, squeezed shut tightly as if he was concentrating, or in pain himself.

"You okay?" Duo had to ask.

Zechs nodded and licked his lips. He opened his eyes and met Duo's concerned look.

"You feel incredible. God, you're so tight and so hot. You're going to burn me away, Duo."

Zechs sounded a little awed, as if he hadn't expected it to feel this good, and Duo didn't know if he was just saying it - just trying to make Duo feel better about all of this. But the expression on Zechs' face seemed genuinely enthralled.

Duo seated himself fully, feeling his ass meet Zechs' groin. He definitely wasn't feeling whatever Zechs was, but it was… it was a completely unique sensation.

"Please," Zechs rasped, "I need you to move."

Duo frowned. "You want me to get off?" He started to sit back up, disappointed, but-

"No," Zechs reached out and gripped Duo's hips. "Just- can I?"

Duo wasn't sure what Zechs was asking.

"Um, yeah?"

Zechs' hands, still on Duo's hips, guided him up, and then pushed him back down.

" _Oh_. _Oh, fuck_."

There it was again - that spot inside Duo's body, Zechs' length sliding along it in a way that felt so much _more_ than just his fingers. Duo shifted his hips, adjusted the angle a little, and when Zechs thrust into him again, it was even better.

"Oh my god." Duo wasn't sure which one of them said it, but judging by the look on Zechs' face, it could just as easily have been him as Duo.

"Kiss me," Zechs demanded, and Duo leaned over and captured his lips in a wet, open kiss that was more about finding another point of contact than anything else.

The wet slide of Zechs' lips against Duo's, his harsh, ragged breathing - it just intensified the pleasure Duo felt deep in his body with each move he made.

Zechs' hands were still on his hips, but Duo was moving freely now, rising and falling, riding Zechs' cock at his own pace, and Zechs seemed more than content to give full control over to Duo.

"You're so impossibly tight," Zechs groaned.

"Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. Well," Zechs chuckled, "if I die trying to wait for you to get off before I do, then you can feel a little sorry."

"Oh, I- I didn't realize that's what you were doing." Duo tried to change up the pace, tried to move slower, but while it still felt amazing, it wasn't bringing him any closer to orgasm.

He tried going harder, sitting up and then slamming his ass back down, and that felt - it felt _really_ good, and Zechs certainly enjoyed it if his death grip on Duo's hips and his grunts were anything to go by. But it wasn't going to get Duo off.

"I don't think- I don't think I'm going to get off like this," Duo confessed, feeling like a failure.

"It's okay," Zechs kissed him. "Not everyone can. Do you mind if I finish, and then I'll suck you off?"

Duo swallowed hard. Did he _mind_?

"That's- that's okay with me."

Zechs smirked again and tightened his grip on Duo, taking over again, and set a fast pace, his thrusts more shallow than when Duo had been controlling things, and Duo watched, fascinated, as Zechs neared orgasm.

He was so far from the cool, cocky man playing pool that Duo had first set eyes on hours ago. And this was, Duo decided, an improvement.

Zechs' eyes were open, but only just, and the look on his face reminded Duo of when Zechs had lined up that final, winning shot at the pool table.

Zechs was concentrating, and he had victory in sight.

He gave a deep, almost brutal thrust, and groaned.

"Oh, fuck, Duo. _Duo_."

He could feel Zechs shudder, could feel his hips give small, reflexive jerks, and he knew Zechs was coming, buried deep inside his body.

Never had sex before. Check.

Duo held onto Zechs, not knowing if the other man wanted him to move or stay there, and not wanting to ask.

But Zechs wrapped his arms around Duo, pulling him close, and kissed him again.

Staying had been the right call.

Zechs kissed Duo's jaw, his cheek, and then his mouth again.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Duo shook his head. "No. It felt good. Just- sorry I couldn't get off."

"Don't be," Zechs assured him again. "But, I _did_ promise to take care of that, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Duo agreed, feeling a flutter of anticipation at the predatory look in Zechs' eyes.

The other man pushed at Duo's hips, gesturing for him to get up, and Duo slowly pulled away, feeling the still-hard length of Zechs' cock slide out of his body.

"Let me get rid of this," Zechs said, and stood up. He walked past Duo, out of the room, and a moment later Duo heard the toilet flush.

Left alone, Duo wondered what he should do, how he should sit on the bed, but before he could figure it out, Zechs came back into the room.

He smirked, predictably, at the sight of Duo still kneeling on the bed.

"Lay down," he suggested.

Duo shifted over in the bed, to the center, and laid down so that his head was on the pillow.

"Like this?"

"Perfect," Zechs said as he crawled onto the bed.

He pushed Duo's legs open and sat on his knees between them, his eyes roaming over Duo's naked body, and Duo felt very exposed.

"I can't believe someone who looks like you do is still a virgin," Zechs said.

"Well I'm not _now_ ," Duo had to point out.

Zechs chuckled. "True. Happy to help you out with that."

"Me too," Duo admitted.

Before tonight, sex had been something he thought about - something he fantasized about - but not something he saw as a realistic possibility. There were a handful of gay guys at CSU, but not many, and none that Duo was very interested in. And it was Georgia. Even if Duo _had_ been interested, it wasn't as if there was all that much encouragement for gay students to have relationships.

This... this went beyond Duo's wildest dreams.

Especially since it wasn't even over yet.

Zechs trailed his hands over Duo's chest, across the flat planes of his stomach, and down his hips to his thighs.

Duo shuddered, and then shied away when Zechs' fingers glanced over his inner right thigh.

Zechs smirked and arched an eyebrow.

"Ticklish?"

Duo glared at him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Zechs promised, and Duo wondered if the other man was going to use it against him in the future. Probably.

Zechs cupped Duo's balls in one hand, squeezing slightly, and wrapped his other hand around Duo's soft cock.

"Looks like I've neglected you for too long," Zechs apologized.

"S'okay. You had other things on your mind."

"Mm. Fucking you _was_ a lot to handle," Zechs agreed, and Duo shivered at the casual way he talked about it.

He was rapidly growing erect again, and he flexed his hips upwards, meeting Zechs' hand as it moved over him.

Zechs was smirking again, and Duo realized there wasn't much he could do to stop it - not when he was spread out under him, thrusting his cock into the other man's hand.

"Please," Duo said, when it was clear Zechs was perfectly content to just stare down at him and slowly jerk him off.

Zechs arched an eyebrow.

"What do you want?"

Duo growled in frustration.

"I want you."

"You have me," Zechs assured him, a warm look in his eyes that somehow made his smirk bearable.

"You know what I meant."

"Maybe. Say it."

His smirk was no longer bearable, and Duo debated whether or not getting off again was going to be worth it.

Zechs rubbed his thumb over the weeping slit at the tip of Duo's cock, smearing precum and pushing in just slightly. Duo moaned - he'd never tried doing that before. It felt ridiculous that a total stranger seemed to know how to arouse Duo better than he knew himself.

"Please."

"Please _what_?"

"I want your mouth - I want you to suck my cock."

Still smirking, clearly satisfied with getting his way, Zechs lowered his head and slowly, eyes locked with Duo's, licked the head of his cock.

 _Fuck._

And then it got better.

Zechs licked along the length, grazing the sensitive underside with his teeth, and Duo moaned.

He didn't know what to do with his hands - he _wanted_ to fist them in Zechs' hair, to pull him closer so that his mouth was engulfing Duo's cock.

Tentatively, Duo put one hand on Zechs' shoulder, curling one long strand of hair around his finger.

"Holy shit!"

The cry was drawn out of Duo as Zechs took his heated flesh into his mouth, swallowing Duo's entire length, and Duo could only stare, could only _try_ not to have a heart attack.

It felt spectacular, more intense than anything Duo had ever experienced before, and he was pretty sure he could die, at that moment, and have no regrets in life.

But then Zechs started to move, drawing back and letting the cool night air hit Duo's wet flesh, and then surging forward again, taking him deep.

"Oh my god." Duo clutched at Zechs' head with both hands, unconcerned now with whether or not it was okay. He held on for dear life, and Zechs continued.

Duo could feel his tongue and his teeth, his slick lips and his hum of satisfaction, and it was all _so_ much. It felt _so_ much.

"Fuck, Zechs. I-"

It felt too soon, felt as though he had lasted an embarrassingly short amount of time, but Duo felt his orgasm approaching, felt pressure and heat build, and he rushed towards that feeling, urging his body onwards.

"I'm close," Duo panted. "I'm so close. I- oh _fuck_!"

He came with a long, low moan, pumping a stream of come down Zechs' throat while Zechs held him in place, hands on his hips, eyes closed and mouth working around Duo's cock to swallow all of it.

Suddenly the feeling of _too much_ really _was_ too much.

"Stop, stop," Duo begged. He pushed at Zechs' head and the other man pulled away, releasing Duo's cock with a wet _pop_ that was somehow erotic.

Never had a blowjob before. Check.

"Too sensitive?" Zechs guessed.

"Yeah." Duo ran a hand through his own hair, pushing his bangs off his face. "Holy shit, yeah."

Zechs moved over him, stretching out beside Duo and looking down at him with a fond smirk.

"See what happens when you tell me what you want?"

Duo snorted. "You're an asshole."

Zechs arched an eyebrow. "Is that how you say thank you?"

Duo rolled his eyes, but he supposed that, all things considered, Zechs really _did_ deserve a thank you. Duo was pretty sure fucking a virgin wasn't the most fun, and Zechs had been patient and kind - if teasing and arrogant - and very generous.

"Thank you," Duo said, just before he leaned up and kissed Zechs.

The other man's mouth was bitter with the aftertaste of Duo's semen, but Zechs didn't seem to mind and Duo found it incredibly intimate, sharing this kiss after experiencing all of that together.

"Mm. You're welcome," Zechs said when they parted. He ran a hand over Duo's side, skimming over his hip and then stopping, resting his thumb on the scar beside Duo's navel.

"I'd ask if you want to go again, but it's almost three and I have work in a few hours."

"What?" Duo turned, panicked, and followed Zechs' gaze to a small alarm clock beside the bedside lamp.

 _2:52_.

 _Holy shit_.

He hadn't realized - had been so caught up in Zechs that he hadn't even thought about the time. Or the fact that he, too, had work in a few hours.

"Shit. I'm sorry."

Duo moved to get out of the bed.

"I'll, um, just get my clothes and-"

"You could stay, if you want," Zechs offered.

Duo looked over his shoulder at him.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"That depends. How badly do you snore?"

Duo smirked. "Guess you're going to find out the hard way."

Zechs' eyes flickered down to Duo's ass.

"I've no problem doing things the hard way with you."

Duo swallowed, wondering if maybe there was going to be a round two after all.

He gave Zechs a speculative look. He wouldn't mind. Hell, all things considered, Duo seriously doubted he was going to get an opportunity like this ever again.

But just as Duo started to think of all the things they could try, he yawned, wide and jaw-popping, and Zechs smirked.

He shifted on the bed, raising himself up enough to pull the blankets down, and gestured for Duo to join him.

Never spent the night in bed with a gorgeous, naked man. Check.

Duo climbed in and shifted around, trying to take up as little space as possible.

Zechs reached over him and turned off the lamp.

"So," Duo had to ask as Zechs adjusted behind him, pulling him close and draping an arm around his waist, "did I entertain you?"

Zechs snorted.

"Immensely," he assured Duo, before pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

-o-


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you so so SO much Ro for beta reading and always being ready to trade the most bizarre - or mundane - email chains.

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Three

Duo woke up slowly, aware of several things at once.

He really, really needed to take a piss.

He was freezing.

He was naked.

There was a naked guy pressed against his back.

His entire body felt sore, from his flight and bus ride and lack of sleep and-

He was no longer a virgin.

Slowly and quietly, Duo moved away from Zechs and climbed out of the bed.

Once he was standing, he looked back and saw Zechs, a scowl on his face, shift over and take up the warm spot Duo had just abandoned.

Duo shivered in the cold, worse now that he wasn't under the blankets or baking in Zechs' warmth.

He looked around, but he had no idea where his shirts had ended up. He found his shorts and boxers. He pulled those on, wincing when he lifted his legs, and felt an almost piercing ache in his thighs and ass, and, without really thinking, picked up the navy sweater Zechs had been wearing last night and put it on.

It was big - Zechs was taller and broader - and Duo felt a little like a kid trying on adult clothes, but he also felt warmer.

He gingerly made his way to the bathroom and relieved himself with a sigh.

Duo flushed the toilet and washed his hands, and looked back into the bedroom. Zechs was still asleep, had rolled over so that he was facing away from Duo, and his blond hair looked like a tangled mess.

Duo reached into his pocket and found his phone.

 _8:45._

Heero had said they would start work at 9:30, which gave Duo forty-five minutes to get his ass back to the theatre, hopefully shower, and _hopefully_ find something to eat.

Duo looked at the bed again, and debated waking up Zechs. He would, probably, give Duo a ride if he asked.

But…

But what if he wanted to see Duo again? What if he _didn't?_ Duo wasn't really sure how this was supposed to work, but he was fairly certain that the crazy hot guy from the bar didn't chase after an eighteen-year-old.

Duo grabbed his boots and socks and decided, all things considered, it was better to just leave before the situation turned awkward, which it most definitely would the second Duo opened his mouth.

He stepped outside onto the porch of the bungalow and pulled on his socks and then his boots, tying them up quickly.

He reached for his phone again, and pulled up the map so he could figure out where the hell he was and how the hell to get back to the theatre.

 _Seven miles_.

Well, there went his dreams of breakfast, a shower - or even showing up on time.

Duo sighed and started to walk down the driveway, weaving through the assortment of cars, until he reached the main road. And with each step, he felt a definite, resounding ache in his body.

He made a mental note - don't stay up all night having sex for the first time the day before you start a new job.

"Duo?"

He stopped and turned at the voice.

It was Cathy, standing on the porch in front of the large, main house in front of the bungalow.

"Cathy?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Um… walking?" Duo responded, not quite lying. He didn't think _sneaking out on the hot stranger I went home with last night_ would be the kind of response to make a good impression.

Cathy frowned, looked him over, looked at his bootprints in the grass, tracked them back towards the bungalow, and then her eyes widened.

"Oh my god. You spent the night with Zechs?!"

Duo swallowed hard. _So much for that_. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah?"

" _Duo_."

It was then, Cathy's shock serving as a catalyst, that Duo started to put things together.

Cathy was coming out of that house - Cathy had said she was staying in the guest housing with the other senior staff and the _actors_.

Duo frowned and mentally reviewed the staff contact list he had been emailed, but he didn't remember seeing a Zechs on it.

Which meant that, if Zechs worked for the theatre, he was an actor.

That only made sense, considering the man's looks and physique.

Well… that was going to make things weird. Of course, as an intern, there was every chance that Duo would barely even speak to Zechs again - and Cathy's shock at finding out he had spent the night with him only reinforced Duo's opinion that Zechs probably didn't mingle with technical types, especially not interns.

Cathy was still staring at him, and Duo cleared his throat.

"I don't guess you'd give me a ride back to the theatre?"

She continued to stare at him, muttered something under her breath, but stomped down from the porch and stalked over to the blue pick-up truck parked on the road.

Duo followed her, realizing that Cathy _really_ disapproved of what he had done, and feeling humiliated for being caught and for letting her down.

"Cathy-"

"Look, you missed the speech last night, and I forgot to add in this part because I just… figured you were a kid and it wasn't something I needed to worry too much about. But three months is a long summer, Duo. Things happen. People have sex. You're an adult - _barely_ \- and if you want to have sex, that's on you, but keep in mind that you have to work with these people. For the next three months. So just… be careful."

She gave him a look that reminded Duo of the time when he had been seven and his foster family had consisted of a Baptist minister, his wife and the two kids they had adopted from China, and the minister's wife had caught Duo kissing another boy at Sunday school and sat him down with a lecture on the evils of homosexuality.

There was, of course, a _little_ less judgement in Cathy's eyes as she looked at him, however.

"Yeah, okay. I get it."

Cathy sighed, obviously not convinced, but she put the truck in drive and steered them towards the theatre.

It was quiet, and tense, and Duo was relieved when she finally pulled into the gravel parking lot of the theatre.

"Thanks for the ride," he called out as he escaped from the cab.

She grumbled something that he couldn't hear, and decided probably wasn't ' _you're welcome'_.

Duo let himself into the back door of the theatre and quietly made his way through the hall of staff rooms, through the lobby, and up the narrow stairs to the room he shared with Quatre. The blond haired man was gone, his bed a tangle of sheets and blankets, and Duo sighed, relieved that he wasn't going to have to face down _another_ judgemental stare.

It was just after nine, and Duo realized he was either going to get a shower or food.

With a sigh, he decided on food.

Duo stripped out of his clothes, laying Zechs' sweater on the bed and making a note to wash it so he could return it to the actor, and then rifled through his duffle bag to find clean underwear, his only other long-sleeved shirt and pants.

He found his toiletry bag and rubbed some toothpaste over his teeth, knowing that it was lazy but also really, _really_ wanting breakfast.

He walked back down to the lobby and, remembering Cathy's brief tour the night before, walked around to the tavern attached to the theatre and opened the door.

Inside, the same group that had been gathered on the back porch last night was spread out around a cluster of cafe tables. No one even looked up at Duo's arrival, and he was relieved by that.

Cathy, however, was leaning against the bar and walked towards him.

Duo sighed, wondering if she was going to give him _another_ dressing down.

"I'll walk you through the food routine," she said, voice tight. "Breakfast is a on-your-own kind of thing. Back in the kitchen we have bagels, fruit, cereal and oatmeal. And coffee. After you eat, you take your plate to the sink, you rinse it, and then you put it in the dish rack. Same with any silverware and cups. Got it?"

"Yep." Duo wondered how long she was going to be pissed at him.

"For lunch and dinner, the kitchen staff is here, and they set out the food on the bar - but you still need to clean up after yourself."

"Sounds good."

She held his gaze, looked like she wanted to say more, but then shook her head and walked away.

Duo sighed and walked into the kitchen.

Quatre was standing by the coffee maker, pouring what looked like an obscene amount of sugar into an impossibly large coffee thermos.

Duo arched an eyebrow, and Quatre arched one right back.

"I was worried you'd been eaten by a bear or decided to make a run for it."

Duo forced a smile. "Nah, just… got kind of lost walking back from the bar."

Amazingly, Quatre didn't question that, and Duo moved past him to grab a bagel and an apple.

"You want any?" Quatre gestured towards the practically empty coffee pot.

"No thanks, not big on coffee."

Quatre snorted. "You say that _now_ , but wait two weeks. You will be. You _will_ be."

Quatre, Duo realized, was a complete dork.

Duo grinned, relaxing for the first time that morning, and Quatre grinned back.

"Come on," Quatre jerked his head towards the seating area, "you missed meeting everyone last night, and if you don't start socializing on day one, you're going to miss out."

"Okay." Duo followed him and sat beside Quatre at one of the larger tables, shared with Heero, Trowa and Hilde.

Hilde looked up when Duo sat down, looked back down at her coffee mug, and then immediately back at Duo.

"What?" Duo asked, as her eyes widened and she smirked.

"Nothing. Just admiring the whole smudgy-eye makeup look you've got going on."

Everyone else at the table looked at him again as well, and Duo felt his face turn red.

He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and sure enough - gold and brown eyeshadow and a smear of black eyeliner came off.

 _Shit_.

He had completely forgotten that Maria had done that.

"Um…"

"Not judging," Hilde held up her hands.

The looks on Trowa and Heero's faces were the opposite of that statement, however. Quatre, on the other hand, was paying much more attention to his coffee than to anyone or anything else.

"I didn't- I don't wear makeup."

Trowa arched an eyebrow and Heero smirked.

"I mean, I didn't put this on. A drag queen did."

 _That_ pulled Quatre's attention out of his coffee mug.

"What?" he asked, blinking a little owlishly.

So Duo sighed and, in between bites of his bagel and apple, told them about his bus ride.

The story carried them through breakfast, and Duo was just finishing up, telling them about Maria's promise to come visit, as they walked over to the scene shop. They had been joined by Sylvia and Meilin who, after sitting with Dorothy, the sound designer, to eat, caught up to them as they walked across the lot.

It was separate from the main theatre structure, across the parking lot and half-hidden by a line of trees.

It looked like another barn, but it wasn't in the same pristine condition as the theatre. Instead, it looked as though it hadn't been painted in Duo's lifetime, and along the outside, old pieces of scenery had been attached. They were all painted lauan, cut-out into different shapes for different shows. There was a miniature version of the Brooklyn Bridge, a large boat that looked like it might be the Titanic, signs that looked like they had once been filled with light bulbs, cutouts of trees and fences.

It looked completely bizarre but also, Duo couldn't help but think, really cool.

He checked his watch, it was 9:30, but as they approached they saw that the front doors of the barn were still locked.

"Told you he'd be late," Hilde said, smirking at Heero.

Heero who, Duo remembered, was new here as well, just scowled.

"Who?" Duo had to ask.

"Millie," Meilin said, as she sat down on a stack of platforms by the side of the doors.

"Mil-"

"Call him that to his face and you're going to be on toilet cleaning duty for a month," Trowa casually warned as he leaned against the wall.

Duo realized they were talking about the technical director, Milliardo Peacecraft.

They sat around talking, Quatre guzzling his coffee, for another fifteen minutes, and Duo started to get a little irritated.

After all, _he_ had made it on time - and he seriously doubted the technical director's night and morning could compare to his.

Finally, the sound of car tires on the gravel lot broke through their conversation.

"That'll be him," Meilin said, and Heero straightened up. "Easy there, he'll still want to go and get a gallon of coffee before he comes over here. I told you, time is a very fluid concept for him, unless we're counting down the hours until a show opens."

Heero scowled again, but he relaxed, moving over to lean against the barn beside Trowa.

The electrician looked down at him and smirked a little, but Heero was glaring through the trees, towards the theatre.

"Why are you here anyway?" Quatre asked Trowa after yawning. "Shouldn't you be off… checking lights or something somewhere?"

Trowa shrugged. "Sure. But Howard wanted me to make sure all of the outlets were in good shape over here so that none of you electrocute yourselves. But I _can_ just leave…"

"No, no, you have my permission to stay," Quatre said.

Trowa smiled at him and Quatre smiled back. It was clear the two of them had known each other for a while, and were close.

Duo wondered if they were dating?

"So, where do you go to school, Duo?" Meilin asked him.

"Columbus State University - in Georgia."

"Georgia?" Hilde echoed. "Kinda far from home."

Duo shrugged. He was, but that had been the point.

"Well," Hilde continued, "Meilin and I go to U-Conn, Sylvia's at Ohio State, Tro's a first-year grad student at Virginia Tech, Heero - where are you at again?"

"Michigan - my first year of grad school."

"Right. And Quatre - are you going to grad school yet, or are you still just doing your whole wandering from gig to gig?"

"Still wandering," Quatre said with a shrug. "I'll go to grad school eventually. Have you two thought about where you'll go next year?"

Hilde shook her head no, but Meilin smirked, the expression very smug.

"I've been talking to UT-Austin and Yale."

Duo couldn't help but be impressed and intimidated.

He had figured he would be the youngest - he _was_ an intern, after all - but not only was he at least three or four years younger than everyone else, they were also all in an entire other league in terms of schools. CSU didn't have an _awful_ theatre program - but it wasn't great. They all went to schools with amazing programs.

Duo sincerely hoped he didn't embarrass himself.

"So, do we call him Milliardo?" Duo asked, getting back to a subject that was less likely to make him feel inferior.

Meilin shook her head. "No - I mean, you _can_ , but it's so long and I promise you, you'll end up just shortening it to Millie or Mill, and he will _end_ you."

"So…?"

But Meilin looked past him and smirked.

Duo turned, following her gaze, and saw a tall, lean man walking through the trees towards them.

He had a Red Sox baseball hat on his head, shadowing his face and a stainless steel travel mug in one hand. He wore battered work boots, equally well-worn jeans and an Emerson hoodie that was flecked with paint.

"Zechs! We thought you forgot about us," Meilin called out.

 _Zechs?_

The man looked up, a scowl on his face.

"As if I could _ever_ forget what a pain in the ass you are, Meilin," he snarked, coming closer and sweeping his gaze over them.

His pale blue eyes landed on Duo, and he froze.

 _Zechs._

Duo could only stare. He couldn't even breathe, couldn't even _think_.

Zechs was not an actor.

Zechs was Milliardo.

Zechs was the technical director.

Zechs was Duo's boss.

 _Fuck_.

Never slept with my boss. Check.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you, as always, and seriously never enough, to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Four

The day, which had started out as a very special kind of awful, only got worse.

Zechs had stared at Duo for a solid minute, his face going from surprised to shocked to horrified to pissed, before Meilin had drawn his attention away.

"Have you had enough coffee to function yet?" she asked, and Zechs transferred his glare from Duo to her.

"No," he bit out. "Because _someone_ didn't refill the pot after he finished it."

The rest of the staff looked over at Quatre, who offered up an apologetic grin.

"Sorry?"

"So I'm just _now_ getting started," Zechs turned back to Meilin.

She smirked, and it was a lot like watching a kid poke a beehive with a stick, Duo realized.

"Rough morning?" she guessed.

Zechs' glare could have easily frozen over hell.

Hilde nudged Meilin's shoulder. "Whatcha bet he tried to pick up some guy at Mike's and got shot down?"

Duo swallowed hard and looked down, at his feet, as he felt his cheeks heat up.

 _This could_ not _be happening_.

" _If_ you're done being horribly wrong," Zechs responded, "we need to get to work. I want the shop completely cleaned out before lunch. After lunch, we're going to help Cathy set up the actor housing."

Duo looked up when he heard the rattle of keys and the lock to the barn doors being opened.

Zechs opened both barn doors wide, revealing a spacious, if cluttered, shop.

It looked as if, at the end of the last summer season, everything had been shoved into the shop in a hurry.

There were plastic bins, piles of scenery and tools scattered everywhere.

"Shit," Zechs muttered, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I need to go pick up the power tools from Nan's house this afternoon." He sighed. "One of you can come with me, and the rest can go with Cathy."

"Not it," Meilin said instantly, and Hilde nodded.

"Me either - I had to go last year," she said.

Zechs swung his gaze over to Quatre, who adamantly shook his head.

"Nope. I need to set up the paint shop this afternoon."

Zechs next looked at Trowa, who offered him a smirk and a shrug.

"I'm only working for you this morning - this afternoon I need to start checking the dimmers and make sure all the lobby lights are in working order." He jerked his head in Duo's direction. "Take the kid."

Zechs scowled and rubbed his eyes again. He did not look in Duo's direction.

"Fine." He gestured at the mess. "Now let's get to work."

They only had two hours until lunch, and Duo had his doubts they would be able to get the huge space completely clean - they started out by hauling all of the crap in the middle of the barn outside, and Meilin, Sylvia and Zechs sorted through it while Duo and Hilde continued to clean. Trowa, after making sure that all of the outlets worked, stuck around and helped Heero and Quatre disassemble some of the scenery that had clearly been left behind after last year.

Just when they finished cleaning out the barn, Zechs announced it was time to move all the stuff outside back _in_ , and everyone pitched in to haul cabinets, lumber, spare scenery and an assortment of furniture back inside.

It was still cold, and after working his ass off, Duo was sweating. It was not a pleasant mix - his sweat cooling as it trickled down his back - and he shivered uneasily when he paused for a moment to catch his breath after moving a huge desk back inside.

"Get back to work," Zechs said, pushing past him. "Lunch is in twenty minutes, and you can take a break then."

Duo glared at his back - he had seen all of the others stop and take a sip of water or coffee or just _pause_ before grabbing another load. He wasn't slowing anyone down, and Zechs hadn't said a word to any of the others.

Duo drew in a deep breath and followed Zechs back outside.

They had just finished moving the last box back inside - an incredibly heavy box of stage weights that Duo and Heero moved - when a loud, old-fashioned bell rang.

"Lunch!" they heard someone shout from the direction of the theatre.

Almost everyone groaned in relief, and started to move towards the theatre.

Zechs, however, went back inside the shop, and Duo hesitated.

He should say something. Should apologize or explain or- or something.

But after having Zechs glare at him for two hours, Duo was finding it kind of challenging to follow him into the barn.

"Did you hear the lunch bell?"

Duo turned and saw Cathy walking towards him. Everyone else had already escaped, and Duo found himself caught by her disapproving glare once again.

"Yeah, I was just on my way…"

She nodded and looked past him.

"Is Zechs still in there?"

Duo nodded, and Cathy drew in a deep breath.

"Good. You should get going."

She walked past him, clearly expecting Duo to scurry along, but there was something about her determined stance as she walked into the barn that made Duo linger.

"Cathy," he heard Zechs say. "I was going to come find you. I need to borrow the truck this afternoon so I can get the tools from Nan's. Can-"

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?" Cathy's angry voice interrupted him.

Duo winced.

That morning, Cathy had looked pissed - had sounded angry and disappointed when she told Duo off, but _this_ was a whole new level of anger and he was very, very relieved not to be on the receiving end of it.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you sleeping with your _eighteen-year-old intern_."

There was a long, painful silence.

" _Well_?" Cathy eventually demanded, and Duo could easily picture her standing in front of Zechs, arms folded, glaring up at him.

"Well, _what?_ "

"Do you care at _all_ that he- Zechs, he's a _child,_ and you-"

"He is _not_ a child," Zechs interrupted, his own voice just as low and savage as Cathy's.

"Stop sleeping with the fucking interns, Zechs!"

Before Duo could move, or make any effort to appear as if he _hadn't_ just been eavesdropping, Cathy stormed out of the barn.

She looked _furious,_ and Duo swallowed hard when her gaze landed on him.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, his face red and his heart pounding. It had been a _long_ time since someone had looked at him like that - and the last time it had happened, Duo had ended up getting shipped off to a group home for six months.

Cathy's face softened minutely, and she sighed.

"Just- go get lunch, Duo."

This time, Duo listened to her and headed towards the theatre. Even if he _did_ want to still apologize to Zechs, he doubted the other man was in any mood to hear it.

-o-

Zechs didn't show up for lunch at all, and afterwards, the shop staff piled into a few cars with Cathy and drove off.

Duo had no idea where Zechs was - his Jeep was in the parking lot, as was Cathy's blue truck - so he cautiously made his way back to the scene shop.

The doors were open, and Duo stepped inside.

He spotted Zechs right away, standing beside the huge, industrial first-aid kit on one wall of the barn. He had a clipboard in one hand, and he seemed to be taking an inventory.

"Zechs?"

It felt weird - it felt _wrong -_ to say his name, and Duo felt himself blush as he thought about what they had been doing less than twelve hours ago.

The other man turned, and he scowled when he saw who had said his name.

"I… You… you wanted help getting the tools from Nan's?" he mumbled.

Zechs sighed. "I'll do it myself. Just- go with everyone else to set up the housing."

"They've already left."

Zechs closed his eyes and shook his head, and Duo could sympathize with him - he wasn't exactly excited about any of this either.

"Fine."

Zechs slammed the first-aid kit closed, the sound loud and sudden enough that Duo jumped.

"Let's go." Zechs brushed past him, not waiting, either confident that Duo would follow or, probably, hoping that he wouldn't.

The ride to Nan's took forever - almost forty-five minutes of driving over winding, country roads - and it was excruciating.

Zechs glared at the road, his hands gripping the steering column tightly, and Duo practically clung to the passenger side door. He could _feel_ the anger rolling off of Zechs, and it felt like it was getting worse with every mile they drove.

When Zechs finally pulled over in front of a huge, sprawling Victorian clapboard house, Duo sighed in relief and jumped out of the truck.

Nan, Duo would later learn, was a long-time friend of the theatre. She routinely donated money, came to _every_ opening night performance for every show, threw a party for the company on the Fourth of July, and, in the offseason, stored the shop tools in her house so that they wouldn't be exposed to the harsh New York winters.

Zechs was slower to get out of the truck, and Duo followed him at a distance as he mounted the stairs up to the front porch.

His shoulders were stiff, his entire body screamed with tension and anger.

He rang the doorbell, waited a few minutes, then rang it again.

A moment later, the door opened and a tiny, white haired lady even shorter than Duo opened the door.

"Milliardo!" She held her arms out wide.

Duo watched as the other man, who towered over her, leaned down and allowed her to hug him. Her arms couldn't even reach all the way around his back, and Duo found himself grinning at the sight.

Until Zechs pulled back and glared at him.

Duo sighed, and forced a neutral expression onto his face when the old woman turned to him.

"And who is this?" she asked.

"New intern. David."

" _Duo_ ," Duo corrected.

Zechs swallowed hard and looked away.

"Duo," he repeated, his voice rough.

"Well, _Duo_ , how are you liking things at the Playhouse so far?"

"Um, I just got here last night."

"I'm sure you'll settle in in no time - Zechs will take care of you, won't you?"

Zechs' expression turned sour, but he nodded.

"We came by to get the tools," he said, clearly eager to escape this line of conversation.

"Oh, yes, of course. Come on in."

Duo followed them in, and had to fight the urge to gag as soon as he stepped inside.

It smelled _awful_. The air reeked of… rotten eggs? Chlorine? Bananas? Some awful mix of things that had his stomach roiling.

"Nan, what _is_ that?" Zechs asked.

"Oh - something wrong with the plumbing. My disposal has been acting up again."

"Have you called anyone to come look at it?" Zechs asked, his own face just as disgusted as Duo felt.

"James," she turned to Duo, "my son, is coming to visit next week. I'm sure he can fix it."

"Nan, how- how _long_ has it been like this?"

"Just a week. No, two weeks now."

Duo stared. He had no idea how she managed to _live_ with the smell this strong.

"You can't wait for James to come up, Nan. This is-"

"Oh, Milliardo, stop worrying. It hardly even bothers me anymore. Now-"

"Can I take a look?" Duo asked.

They both turned and stared at him.

"At what?" Zechs asked with a frown.

Duo rolled his eyes.

"The disposal."

"Are you a plumber, dear?" Nan asked, sounding impressed.

"No," Duo shrugged, "but I had a foster-father who was - I used to tag along with him. If it's simple, I can probably fix it. And if it's complicated, I promise not to make it worse."

"Oh, well, how sweet you are!" Nan beamed at him. "You don't mind?"

Duo shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all." He looked over at Zechs. "The tools-"

"What do you need?" Zechs sighed.

Duo listed off everything he could think would be handy, and Zechs went off in one direction while Duo followed Nan into the kitchen.

The smell was a _lot_ worse.

Duo couldn't believe she had lived with it for so long - couldn't believe that no one else had come by and insisted she get it looked at. And then he thought about it. She was all alone out here - it had been more than a mile between her house and the last one Zechs had driven past.

She was alone, stuck with this awful smell, and was just patiently waiting for her son to come by. Her son that hadn't stopped by in at least two weeks.

Duo felt angry - she was a helpless old woman in the middle of _nowhere_ \- and he opened the cabinet doors under the sink with more force than necessary.

"Do you have an old towel or something I can use?" he asked her, as he started to pull everything out from under there.

The smell was overpowering, and Duo wished he had his bandana with him. Instead, he tried to breath as little as possible. It didn't really help.

Duo turned on the faucet in the sink, and then the disposal. It sounded fine - didn't sound like the blades were broken or the motor was working too hard - but almost immediately a jet of foul, black water shot up at Duo.

He jumped back, disgusted.

With a sigh, he turned off both the water and the disposal.

"What do you think it is?" Nan asked, coming back and handing him a rag.

"I think there's a blockage somewhere. Have you tried Draino or anything?"

She nodded, and he sighed again. That would, of course, have been way too easy.

Zechs came back with a battered tool box and handed it to Duo.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked.

"Yes," Duo assured him, a little annoyed.

He lay down and scooted back under the sink, grabbing one of the wrenches from the box and setting to work.

He started to loosen the connector beneath the drain. It was difficult - it felt like the collar hadn't been touched in years, and was practically glued in place.

Duo grunted with the effort, and had to brace his legs on the kitchen floor before giving another fully-body push with the wrench.

The pipe came free, and with it a downpour of that same black sludge that had shot out of the sink.

Duo let out an unmanly shriek, but he wasn't able to move in time, and he felt something solid and wet drop onto his chest, felt more of the sludge spew onto his face and into his open mouth.

He rolled out from under the sink, coughing and retching, grabbing for Nan's rag and using it to try to wipe out his mouth.

It was _awful_. Duo could taste-

He forced himself not to think, as his stomach gave a heave of protest.

"You okay?"

It was Zechs, kneeling beside him, another rag in his hand.

Duo stared over at him and shook his head emphatically _no_.

Zechs wiped at his face, his touch gentle, and Duo held his breath.

"Oh my." Nan stood just behind Zechs, and she looked horrified.

"You had a blockage," Duo coughed. He swallowed, accidentally, and regretted it immediately.

He looked down at his shirt, at the lump of _hair_ and decomposing food that had fallen out onto him. He grimaced and used his rag to try to wipe it off - but it just flattened against him, absorbing into the material, and Duo could feel it on his bare skin under his shirt.

He shuddered.

"Oh, you poor dear." Nan sounded as miserable as Duo felt.

"It's okay." He waved away her concern, and then scooted away from Zechs. "Just - let me make sure that was all of it."

He really didn't want to, but Duo crawled back under the sink and reached up into the pipe. He clawed out more of the awful stuff, until he could run his finger around the rim of the pipe without encountering any obstacle, and then he realigned the pipe and the collar and tightened it back on.

"Try running the water," he instructed, and he saw Zechs stand up, walking over so that he stood above Duo's sprawled body.

The water came on and Duo looked carefully for any leaks - there were none.

"Great, now the disposal."

The sound of the motor whirring was louder, under the sink, but it still sounded fine.

"Any crap coming out of your end?" he called up.

"No." Zechs sounded almost amused.

Duo closed his eyes in relief.

 _Thank god._

Duo pulled himself back out and sighed.

"Do you have another rag? I'm sorry, but some of that stuff splashed out and I want to clean it up."

"Oh, goodness. You darling boy. Here, will paper towels work?"

Duo nodded, and Nan held out a roll to him.

Duo, his fingers grimy, just stared at it.

Zechs rolled his eyes and took it from her. He tore off several sheets and passed them to Duo.

"Thanks."

He had to get several more sheets from Zechs, but after a few minutes he managed to scrub the cabinet clean.

"There. Good as new."

He tried to smile, but he felt some of the sludge on his lips and the expression died.

"Sweetheart, why don't you take a shower?" Nan offered. She looked at his shirt. "And I'm sure I have some of my John's clothes around here."

"Is that okay?" Duo asked Zechs.

Zechs scowled. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't want to hold us up or-"

Zechs snorted. "You aren't riding in the truck with me, smelling like that."

Duo flushed at the way Zechs looked at him with derision and disgust. It was a _hell_ of a lot different than he had looked at Duo last night.

"Right. Um… thanks," Duo turned to Nan and forced a smile. "That would be great."

"Good, you just take off your clothes here, so you don't track any of that mess through my house."

"Wh- what?"

"Take off your clothes, dear." Nan's stare was implacable.

"But-" Duo looked between her and Zechs.

"I've seen it all, sweetheart. I was married for fifty-seven years, and I raised two boys. Now, come on, off with those."

She made an impatient gesture, and Duo sighed.

As carefully as he could, he pulled off his shirt, trying desperately not to get more of the black stuff on him as he did. He balled it up and reluctantly handed it to her.

"Now the pants."

Duo emptied his pockets, setting his wallet, phone and multi-tool down on the kitchen table before he toed off his boots and then stepped out of his pants.

Standing almost naked, in just his boxers and his socks, he passed over his pants and did his level best _not_ to look in Zechs' direction.

"Good, let me put these in the wash to soak," Nan said, and walked away.

Duo stared after her, red-faced and shivering.

He gave in, and peeked over at Zechs. The other man was studiously looking anywhere _but_ at Duo. He seemed to be intently memorizing the wallpaper pattern between the kitchen counter and the upper row of cabinets.

"Now," Nan came back in at last, "follow me upstairs and you can get cleaned off."

She led him into a very pink bathroom - from the tile to the towels to the wallpaper, shower-curtain and strange pink ceramic rabbit soapdish.

"There you are, dear. I'll find you some clothes, just go ahead and get right in," she gestured towards the shower.

"Thank you," he said, and closed the door when she walked away.

He was relieved to step under the warm spray of water - his first shower in two days - and he had to fight the urge to undo his hair and wash it thoroughly. He was pretty sure none of the black sludge had gotten into it, and he was even more certain that Zechs would resent having to wait for Duo to wash his hair.

They did, after all, still have to load up all of the tools, drive back to the theatre, and then unload them.

He scrubbed his face clean, and tried to rinse out his mouth without swallowing _more_ of the awfulness, and then quickly washed the rest of his body, including his still-sore ass.

He couldn't help but think of Zechs, as he ran his fingers over his own skin, and he felt himself start to grow aroused as he remembered Zechs' touch last night.

There was a knock on the door, and then Nan's voice.

"Here you go, dear. A few things for you on the counter. Just come back downstairs when you've finished!"

Her voice was like cold water on Duo's arousal, and he had to clear his throat before he spoke.

"Thanks!" he called out, and waited until he heard the door close before peeking around the curtain.

She was gone, and there was a bundle of clothes on the counter.

With a relieved sigh, Duo glared down at his traitorously half-erect cock. He rinsed off and then stepped out of the shower.

He dried himself off quickly, and then pulled on his boxers and socks before looking at the clothes Nan had brought.

On top was a yellow t-shirt, a little faded, with black palm trees and a glowing sunset. _Welcome to the Philippines,_ it read.

Duo pulled it on, grimacing when his soaking wet braid stuck to the back, and then he stared at the pants she had brought.

They were khakis, but when he lifted them up he saw that the waistband was elastic and the front fly… was velcro.

He had never encountered pants like these before, and he put them on gingerly.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Duo lifted the hem of the shirt and stared at the waist of the pants.

They were a little big, even with the elastic waistband, and they looked… they looked just like the kind of pants an old man would wear.

Duo sighed, dropped the shirt back down, and left the bathroom.

He found Nan downstairs, opening up windows in her kitchen to get rid of the smell, but Zechs was nowhere in sight.

"Where did Zechs go?" Duo asked as he put his wallet, phone and multi-tool into the pockets of the pants. He felt the waist sink even lower, so that it was just riding above his hips.

Great. All he needed was for his pants to fall down.

He tried to adjust them, but they just slipped back down.

"He's out back, loading up the tools."

Duo sighed. And now he was going to feel like a lazy asshole.

"Which way?"

Nan indicated a door at the back of the kitchen, and Duo, after putting on his boots, left by it.

He came out just in time to see Zechs carrying a band saw past him, on his way to the truck.

Duo, who had had the dubious pleasure of painting the floor of his CSU's shop before leaving for the summer, had had to help move all of the equipment out, and he remembered quite clearly how heavy a band saw was with _two_ people moving it.

He debated walking over and trying to help with it, but he was fairly certain Zechs would take his head off.

So, Duo looked over and saw a garage, the roll door open, and assumed that was where Zechs had come from.

He walked over and saw a table saw, chop saw, dozens of cases for portable power tools, and a bench grinder.

With a sigh, Duo went for the bench grinder. It was heavy as hell, but Duo didn't want Zechs calling him out for slacking off again.

They worked in silence, each carrying tools on their own, until all that was left was the table saw, which was impossible for one person to move.

Duo waited for Zechs in the garage.

"Just get that end," Zechs nodded towards the side that didn't have the motor, the lighter end.

Duo, because he was stubborn, took the opposite end.

Zechs glared at him.

Duo glared right back.

" _Fine_."

Zechs picked up the lighter end.

Because of their height difference, it was slow and painful going. The metal feet of the saw kept hitting Duo in the knees, and he was seriously regretting making a fuss about lifting the heavy end by the time they stopped beside the open bed of the truck.

They set the saw down, and Duo shook out his arms.

Zechs arched an eyebrow, but was mercifully silent.

After Duo had caught his breath, they worked together to lift the saw into the bed of the truck.

Zechs climbed up and pushed it back, before strapping it into place and then hopping back down.

He closed the bed of the truck and nodded towards the house.

"Let's go and try to escape from Nan."

"Escape?"

Zechs nodded, but didn't elaborate.

Duo followed him back into the kitchen, where Nan had laid out a plate of cookies on the counter.

"I thought you boys might like a snack before you go," she said with a smile.

Zechs shook his head and held up his hands, a smile on his face.

"I wish, but I'm still really full from lunch."

Duo arched an eyebrow at the blatant lie, and when Nan held the plate out to him, he gladly accepted a cookie.

"Looks great," Duo said, and took a bite.

And immediately choked.

It _looked_ like a simple sugar cookie, but it did _not_ taste like one. Not only was it rock solid, but it was… _salty._

He saw Zechs smirking at him, and Duo forced himself to chew and swallow.

"Mm," he mumbled. "Really good." He quickly shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as fast as he could, and praying he didn't die.

Nan beamed. "Here, have some more."

Duo stared at the plate in horror.

"Um, I don't want to hold us up…"

"Oh, no worries, dear. I'll wrap a few for you to take. Now, I'll come by the theatre next week and drop off your clothes, dear, if you don't mind waiting that long?"

Duo stared as she dumped the _entire_ plate of cookies into a bag.

"That's fine. I'll wash these and have them ready for you," he plucked at his borrowed shirt.

"Oh no, no, you keep those."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Consider it my thanks for fixing the sink."

She handed Duo the bag of cookies, and then turned to Zechs with outstretched arms.

"You take care of yourself, dear," she said as she kissed his cheek. "Don't go falling in love with some idiot who doesn't appreciate you again."

Zechs stiffened in her embrace.

"I won't," he assured her, and she stepped over and, unexpectedly, hugged Duo as well.

"Thanks," he managed to say. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged. Years, at least.

Duo followed Zechs out of the house and climbed back into the truck. He had to pull up his pants as he sat down, and he saw Zechs arch an eyebrow in his direction.

"You're collecting quite the wardrobe," he said, gaze sweeping over Duo as he turned to back the truck out of the driveway.

Duo flushed at the reminder of the sweater he had stolen.

"Um, I'm sorry about that. I'll give it back. I just-"

"I don't care," Zechs said, as he pulled onto the main road and put the truck into drive. "Keep it."

He was back to being tense and angry, Duo saw, and he sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"You're _sorry_? Do you have any idea-" Zechs made a frustrated sound. "You _lied_ about your age."

"No, I didn't."

"You were in a _bar_ , Duo. Mike doesn't let minors into his bar."

"Okay, I'm _not_ a minor, I'm eighteen - and I _told_ him I wasn't twenty-one. I just wanted something to eat. It wasn't like I went there _hoping_ to hook up with-"

"You went home with a complete stranger! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

Duo stared at Zechs' angry profile in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? You're really going to give me _that_ lecture when _you_ are the one who took me home in the first place?"

A muscle in Zechs' jaw jumped, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"I never would have done that if I knew who you were," Zechs said, his voice low and rough.

Duo sighed. "Yeah, well, neither would _I._ You think I _want_ to be the idiot who slept with his boss? Who-" Duo stumbled over the words as he thought about the fact that he'd lost his virginity to the other man.

"You're eighteen," Zechs muttered, and shook his head. "You're a _freshman_ in college. I have _students_ your age, Duo."

It sounded like a fair amount of Zechs' anger was now directed at himself, and Duo swallowed guiltily.

"You teach?"

Zechs spared him a glance before turning back to the road.

"At Emerson. This was my first year," he gave a bitter, derisive laugh, "and things went really fucking well, until-"

"Until me. I get it. And I'm sorry. I-" Duo really didn't know what to say.

"For fuck's sake, that was your _first time_. It shouldn't have been like that. It shouldn't have been with someone like me."

"You didn't seem to care about that last night," Duo pointed out.

"Because last night I thought you were twenty-one. Last night, I didn't know you were my _intern_."

Duo swallowed hard, and stared out of his window.

"I'm sorry about Cathy," he said eventually. "She saw me leave this morning and gave me a ride. I- it's not like I wanted to tell her."

It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say.

Duo glanced over and saw that Zechs was even angrier.

"You don't just _do_ that," he muttered.

Duo frowned. "I said I was sorry. It's not like-"

"You don't just _leave_ like that, without saying anything. I thought- I thought I hurt you or you freaked out, or- I was _worried_ about you."

Duo had to look away again. Zechs' voice sounded raw, and his mouth was set in a tight, furious line.

"I did freak out," he admitted. "I didn't know… what I was supposed to do. What you'd want, or if you even wanted to see me again, or- I didn't know."

Zechs sighed. "Did I- Are you okay?"

Duo nodded. "I'm fine. A little sore. But I'm fine."

The rest of the ride was in silence, and Duo had a hard time figuring out if things between them were going to be better or worse.

Zechs pulled into the theatre parking lot and steered towards the shop.

"The next time someone asks you to stay the night," Zechs said as he parked in front of the scene shop, "don't run away in the morning. They want to wake up beside you. They want to see you again."

Zechs gave Duo an inscrutable look, and Duo felt his mouth go dry.

He nodded.

"Okay. I'll… remember that."

-o-


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you, as always, and seriously never enough, to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Five

The next week left Duo feeling exhausted each night, and he didn't think he had ever been happier.

All of the technicians worked together to get the theatre ready. After that first day, working in the scene shop and the off-site actor housing, Zechs had them start on the theatre itself. They cleaned out everything - backstage, onstage, in the audience - and then moved on to the lobby and the bathrooms. They repainted the lobby, built a new ticket counter and replaced most of the molding. Then it was on to the tavern.

In addition to being where the company ate their meals, the tavern was open to the public before each show, during the intermission, and afterwards. In addition to having a full bar and partial menu for the public, after the shows each night there was a small cabaret performance, featuring a handful of actors from the show being performed over on the mainstage.

Getting the tavern ready meant repainting the small stage, rebuilding the bar, taking care of three pages of repairs that the cook, an old man with a discolored nose that Trowa insisted was named Doktor S, handed them.

By the time Friday arrived, Duo had eased out of his shell of embarrassment over Zechs and intimidation from everyone else enough to start hanging out with the technicians each night on the back deck.

Zechs usually stayed, for an hour or so, and had one beer with them before he left for the night, and Duo wondered if he was the only one who saw the way Cathy glared at him the entire time and kept shooting warning looks in Duo's direction.

Hilde, Duo had discovered, was hilarious, and the two of them could argue for hours about the film adaptations of the Marvel comics. Quatre proved to be just as much of a dork as Duo had first thought he was - every time Duo and Hilde started to talk about The Avengers, he jumped in with complaints about how the movies wrecked the comic books and all of the ways they should do things differently.

Meilin seemed to enjoy teasing everyone - that first day with Zechs was just a preview - and her favorite target seemed to be Dorothy, the sound designer. The blonde haired girl gave back as good as she got, however, and watching the two of them interact was a lot like watching a tennis match.

Sylvia, while nice, didn't seem to have much interest in spending time with the rest of the group. Whenever they hung out after work, she would bring a book and, while she did still sit with them and drink, she rarely joined in their conversations.

Wufei, the wardrobe supervisor, seemed to most enjoy pointing out all of the things wrong with the world.

Cathy, when Zechs wasn't around, was actually incredibly funny, and it was clear that she and Trowa thought the world of each other. Duo envied them, a little. He had never had the chance to get that close with any other kids in the various foster families he had lived with growing up, and he had always wanted a brother or sister.

Both Trowa and Heero were quiet, but when they did speak up it was to add something hilarious or insightful to the current conversation. They seemed content to just sit in the circle, usually side by side, and let the conversation flow around them.

It wasn't until Friday afternoon, as they finished up work for the day, that Duo finally met the owner of Bethel Playhouse.

Howard had interviewed him on the phone, months ago, and then called a week later to offer Duo the job. Apparently, he and Duo's professor at CSU, Dr. G, had done a lot of crazy things together back in the seventies, and he had sounded like the most laid-back person on the planet during their interview.

Howard, Duo had learned from Dr. G, had been an actor in college, but had decided to work as a stockbroker in the eighties, had made quite a bit of money, and "retired" to the Catskills of New York and purchased the Bethel Playhouse. He had completely renovated it during the nineties, and now it was one of the biggest summer attractions in Sullivan County.

"What the hell are you all doing?"

Duo, who had been helping Hilde move the stack of 4'x8' platforms stacked against the shop to the other side, out of the parking lot, looked up to see a man with wild gray hair, dark sunglasses, and a vivid Hawaiian print shirt walking towards them.

"Howie!" Hilde called out with a grin.

"It's after five! Don't tell me Zechs is already turning into a slave-driver."

"We're just working for another half-hour, then we're calling it quits for the weekend," Hilde assured him.

Howard angled his glasses down and peered over the top.

"You must be Duo."

"Hi," Duo said, and then grunted with the effort of lifting their platform on to the top of the stack.

He walked towards Howard, who was still inspecting him over the glasses.

"Yeah, Cathy told me all about you, kiddo."

Duo swallowed hard, and couldn't help but bite his lip nervously.

"Um…"

Howard held out his arm, wiggling his fingers in a clear ' _come here'_ gesture.

Duo looked over at Hilde with wide, scared eyes.

She just arched an eyebrow at him and gave him a little shove in Howard's direction.

Swallowing hard, Duo walked over and Howard settled his arm on Duo's shoulders.

"Let's take a walk through my garden."

The garden, which surrounded most of the theatre, was apparently almost as big of a deal as the theatre itself, and over the past week people had stopped by daily to take pictures of it.

It was, Hilde had told Duo, Howard's pride and joy - and to fuck with his garden was to get yourself fired ASAP.

The other thing Hilde had warned Duo about was the _Rock_.

On the far side of the garden, near the edge of the theatre's property line, there was a small, rocky outcropping that seemed out of place with all of the wildflowers around it.

The Rock, Hilde had explained, was a place you absolutely did not want to get escorted to. Ever.

It was apparently the place where Howard liked to have little chats with his employees whenever they fucked things up. Hilde said that, last year, Wufei had been taken to the Rock and had returned _in tears_.

As Howard steered them towards the Rock, Duo had to swallow hard.

 _Fuck_.

"So, how are you liking things up north?" Howard asked.

"Fine. It's great."

"Good, good. Lonely? Homesick? I know it's a big adjustment, being so far from friends and family."

"I don't have any."

Howard dropped his arm from Duo's shoulders and turned to look at him.

"What do you mean, you don't have any?"

Duo shrugged one shoulder.

"I don't have any family - I'm out of foster care now that I'm eighteen, and I don't have any friends. I was never that good at making them, or, I guess, I never really tried. I got moved around a lot, and there didn't seem to be much point." Duo realized he was talking too much, a chronic reaction to being nervous, and he shut his mouth. Howard wasn't interested in his life story.

"Well…" Howard seemed to be at a loss, and Duo sighed.

"Sorry, that's not what you wanted to hear. I'm fine. It's cool."

Howard frowned a little.

"But you're making friends here?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Of course." He said it before he realized that Howard might not, actually, be asking about _friends_ in the traditional sense.

"Good. Good. Lot of good people up here, Duo. Most of these kids… hell, I've known most of them since they _were_ kids. Cathy and Trowa? Those little bastards have been running around here for as long as they could walk. Their mom used to work here, in the box office, before she died, and they used to be in the shows - you know, kid roles and things. Trowa grew out of it, of course, but Cathy still does a few shows with us every year. She's a good person, a good sister - very protective. Has all kinds of ideas about what's right and wrong."

Duo wasn't too dense to miss where this was headed.

"Look, if this is about-"

Howard held up a hand.

"Look, kiddo, your life is your own. Your mistakes, your accomplishments - it's on you. But you need to be careful, need to really think about things before you just jump in headfirst."

Duo sighed. He'd realized that. He'd realized that, and had it reinforced _several_ times over the last week.

For the most part, Zechs ignored Duo - rarely looking at him, hardly ever speaking to him - and that was fine. They were just cleaning up things, and it wasn't like _anyone_ was particularly chatty while they worked. But it stung, whenever Zechs looked over at him, even accidentally, and his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

Duo was tired of it, and tired of Cathy's judgement, and-

"Is there something in the handbook I missed? Something about staff relationships not being okay?"

Howard seemed taken aback by the question.

"No, of course not."

"Then- then why the hell is this such a big deal? Like you said, my mistakes. I know that. I've known that my whole life and- Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but you're right. It's on me. And yeah, I fucked up, but it's not like we can't work together or-" Duo stumbled, because, thus far, it really _didn't_ seem like they could work together all that well. "It's fine," he said. "Things with Zechs and I are fine, and it's not like _we're_ talking about it with anyone, so I don't get why the hell everyone else is talking about it."

Howard looked as if that was the _last_ thing he'd expected Duo to say, and Duo was glad that the man's sunglasses kept his eyes hidden. He really, really didn't want to see how pissed off he had made him.

But then Howard chuckled and shook his head.

"Did you two rehearse this or something?"

Duo frowned. "What?"

"You and Zechs - you two work this speech out ahead of time?"

"Um… no? Zechs and I haven't really… we're not exactly on the best of terms," Duo admitted.

Howard laughed again, and he took off his glasses to rub his eyes.

"Oh, kid. You are just like him, aren't you?"

That took Duo by surprise. He didn't know Zechs that well, but he didn't think they were similar, at _all_.

His shock must have been obvious.

"Stubborn, think you know what's best for you even when you really don't have a clue, and you think you gotta struggle through life all on your own."

Duo swallowed hard and looked away.

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Alright, look, I'll tell you the same thing I told him. You sleep with whoever you want, but just remember that sex isn't always just about sex, and when it's not, things get messy, and when things get messy, things get awkward. And I don't like my staff feeling awkward - and I sure as hell don't like it affecting my shows. Understand?"

Duo nodded.

"Good." Howard clapped him on the back. "Good."

Duo wondered if this was over.

"And the other thing I told Zechs," Howard added, just when Duo thought he could try to move away, "is this. You're a kid - and you might _feel_ like you're all grown up and all on your own, but you're not. There's people who care about you, and if you ever need to talk about anything, well… hell. I've probably done more stupid shit in my lifetime than you even think is possible."

Despite his tension, Duo had to laugh at that. According to Dr. G, that was completely true.

"Okay?" Howard asked.

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Howard clapped his back again.

"Good. Now head on over to the tavern - they're about to ring the dinner bell, and this way you can skip ahead in line."

Duo grinned. "Thanks."

"Oh - and try to look all sad and devastated, will you? I _did_ just take you to the Rock."

Duo had to laugh again, but then he cleared his throat and tried to look depressed.

"Like this?"

Howard nodded. "Yeah, that'll do, kiddo."

The gray haired man laughed and, just as they started to walk back to the theatre, the dinner bell rang.

-o-

There were more people than usual in the tavern. The actors, Duo had learned, would arrive at the theatre on Sunday, meaning that tomorrow, Saturday, was both the technicians' last day off before the season began in earnest _and_ their last day of peace and quiet before the theatre was overrun by twenty-plus actors.

There were a handful of new people, but everyone else seemed to already know them - except for Heero and Sylvia, who, like Duo, were at the Playhouse for their first summer.

Duo grabbed a plate and happily filled it with food before sitting down at his normal table with Hilde, Heero, Trowa and Quatre. He had never eaten so well - food was plentiful, at the caf at CSU, but it also tasted horrible, and he hated the smell and feel of the caf. Growing up, food had always been a source of anxiety - most of the time there was never enough, and even when there was, it was hardly ever good, and mealtimes, Duo had learned, were usually filled with tension and arguments and should be avoided at all costs.

It was different, at the Playhouse. It had taken Duo a few days to relax, to realize that when Meilin and Dorothy fought it wasn't, actually, a real fight, and to realize that when Meilin and Wufei argued it was, in fact, very real, but that almost as soon as their final words left their mouths, they settled back down and everything returned to normal.

It was weird, but it was good.

"Is this seat taken?"

Duo looked up to see a blonde haired girl approaching the table. She was wearing a blue sundress that showed off her long, pale legs. Her hair was loose, except for two thin braids that held it back, and she had full bangs that fell over her forehead and framed her deep blue eyes.

"Relena!" Quatre was grinning as he stood up, happier and more alert than Duo had yet to see him. "I didn't realize you were here yet."

The girl, Relena, set her plate down on the table, and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

Quatre's arms went around her waist and, in front of everyone, they kissed.

For a long time. And Quatre's hands did _not_ stay on her waist.

Duo looked away, blushing, when Quatre grabbed her ass with one hand, and saw that Hilde was smirking, Trowa was rolling his eyes and Heero was frowning. The rest of the tavern seemed to also be taking in the show.

Duo saw Zechs enter and look over.

"Hey!" he called out, and Relena and Quatre finally broke apart. "That's my sister, Quatre."

The painter grinned. "Well, she's not _my_ sister, so what's the problem?"

That got a laugh out of most people, even if Zechs scowled, but Relena and Quatre separated and took their seats at the table.

"I'm guessing this means the room is full of your luggage now?" Hilde asked.

Relena grinned. "I restrained myself this year - only three suitcases and one box."

Duo, who had managed to get _all_ of his belongings into a single duffel bag and his backpack, could only guess why she had so much stuff.

Hilde groaned, but she was also grinning, and Duo could tell that, in addition to knowing each other, the girls liked each other.

Relena looked at Heero and Duo.

"Fresh meat?"

Trowa, who had been taking a sip of his water, snorted into it.

"Not your types, Rey," he coughed.

Which earned him a raised eyebrow from Heero and a furious stare from Duo.

Trowa just smirked at Heero, and the other man shook his head and looked away. Duo's stomach dropped when Trowa looked his way. There was something in his eyes, something about the way his smirk faded just slightly, that made it clear that he _knew_.

Duo swallowed hard and looked away.

"Hey!" Quatre spoke up. "I'm right here."

Relena smiled at him. "What are your plans for the day off tomorrow?"

"Hopefully kicking my roommate out - sorry Duo - and spending the day in bed with you."

"I think I can clear my schedule for that," Relena decided.

Hilde rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why Howard doesn't just put you two in a room together - _how_ many years have you two been doing this?"

"Three," Quatre said with an aggravated sigh.

"It's Zechs." Relena sounded just as aggravated. "No one cares if Meilin and Doro get to room together - but the _second_ I tell Howard I'd rather just be in a room with Quatre, Zechs goes all 1950s blushing virgin on me." She sighed and shook her head. "Older siblings are a menace."

"Amen to that," Trowa muttered, and took another sip of his drink.

As if on cue, Cathy stood up from her spot a few tables away, where she was sitting with two women Duo didn't recognize - one had blonde hair twisted into two braids and a calm, casual demeanor about her; the other had short, dark hair and looked just a little like Hilde.

Zechs, Duo noticed, sat down at a table with two more newcomers - a man with short, immaculately styled hair and a sneer on his face, and a scowling, brown haired woman wearing glasses.

"Alright, everyone, as you all know, the actors arrive on Sunday." There were loud groans from almost everyone, and Cathy smirked. "That means that tonight and tomorrow are your last days of freedom. You have tomorrow off, and then we're going to go on the season schedule - which means that you technicians have Mondays off unless it's a changeover, in which case you get a daylight day off on Thursdays."

As with most theatres, the Bethel Playhouse had performances Tuesday through Sunday, with the theatre going dark on Mondays. Every two weeks, the theatre put on a new show, which meant that every other Sunday, the technicians had a changeover: striking the sets, lights and costumes from one show and loading in new things for the next show. Instead of taking Monday off, they worked through, while the actors took the day off, and that night everyone - technicians, actors, designers and directors - staged a dress rehearsal for the new show. On Tuesday morning, the technicians worked on any notes or repairs that were needed, and Tuesday afternoon there was another rehearsal before the show opened that night. It was a brutally exhausting schedule, or so Duo had been told. This was his first experience with professional theatre, and he was both excited and nervous about the season getting underway.

"That also means," Cathy continued, "that tonight the Tournament of Assholes begins."

There were cheers from a few people, but Duo, Heero and Sylvia all frowned in confusion.

"For you new kids, the Tournament of Assholes started… what? Ten years ago? It's a chance for each of us to prove what incredibly sore losers we are, and just how fucking _annoying_ we are when we win something." This was said with a glare in Trowa's direction. Trowa smirked back. "Everyone will get a partner - that you have to keep the entire summer. No trading this time, Wufei. We've got three competitions - Cornhole, Beer pong and pool. You'll get points for winning or coming in second or third for each event, and at the end of the season, whichever pair has the most points will be crowned the biggest assholes - and you'll get a really stupid-looking trophy."

"And bragging rights," Trowa added loudly.

Cathy glared at him.

"Yes, and bragging rights. By the way, congrats again on being such an asshole."

Trowa smirked, stood up, and took a bow. Cathy glared at him, but she was also smirking as he sat back down.

"How are we picking the teams this year?" Meilin asked. "Because _last_ year, you let the winners pick first, and Zechs and Trowa just picked each other _again_ and they won, _again_."

Cathy sighed. "Yeah. I've had some _complaints_ about that. Trowa, Zechs, even though you two won last year - and the year before, and the year _before_ \- it's time to broaden your horizons. So each of you will be picking _last_ this time around - if someone else doesn't pick you first. And you're not picking each other," she added quickly.

Trowa shrugged, and Zechs looked completely unconcerned.

"Right. Wufei, since you and Treize lost last year, you can pick first."

Wufei shockingly picked Meilin, who rolled her eyes and grumbled. Treize picked Une, Quatre picked Relena, Hilde picked Noin, Sally picked Cathy and Dorothy picked Sylvia. Leaving Zechs, Trowa, Heero and Duo unpicked.

Duo wasn't surprised he hadn't been picked - he was new, and he was scrawny. But it wasn't as if any of those things took a lot of physical strength. Still, it burned, to realize he was going to be picked last.

"My turn?" Trowa asked, and Cathy nodded.

Trowa looked between Duo and Heero, then glanced over at Zechs and smirked.

"I'll take Heero."

Which meant that Duo would be paired with Zechs.

He didn't need to look across the tavern to know that Zechs was less than thrilled. He didn't need to look at Cathy's face to know _she_ was less than thrilled. He could feel it.

Cathy sighed.

"Okay. Fine. Cornhole starts tonight on the back deck at eight."

-o-

By the time Duo made his way to the back deck, it looked like everyone else had had a few beers and were all having a good time. The newcomers' arrival seemed to have propelled the technicians to divide up into groups - Zechs, Noin, Une and Treize all sat together in one corner, drinking and laughing; Sally, Cathy, Meilin and Dorothy had their own space and Duo watched Dorothy get up and drag Sylvia, predictably sitting alone and reading a book, over to join them; Hilde, Trowa, and Heero were setting up the cornhole boards; Relena was sitting on Quatre's lap, off to one side, and they seemed to have completely forgotten about the rest of the world.

Only Wufei seemed as out of place as Duo felt. He stood at the periphery of Zechs' group, arms crossed, looking like he would rather be anywhere else in the world but where he was.

"Duo!" Hilde called out, and waved him over. "Give me a hand with this."

Relieved, Duo walked over and helped them finish setting up the boards.

Eventually, Cathy called everyone's attention and explained - the cornhole would be a knockout tournament, which each pair seeded into brackets.

Duo looked over at Zechs, but the other man was sipping his beer, looking off into the gathering twilight. Based on Cathy's brackets, they wouldn't be up for a few games, so Duo settled in to watch everyone else.

There was a lot of good-natured teasing, a lot of cheering, and a lot of awful throws. It was clear that _most_ of the technicians hadn't spent a lot of time doing any kind of hand-eye coordination sports growing up. But not all. Meilin and Dorothy, in particular, seemed to be not only amazing at the game, but incredibly serious about it. Duo was glad that _they_ hadn't been paired up, considering just how much concentration they were putting in to winning.

Finally, it was time for Zechs and Duo to step up and compete against Cathy and Sally.

Feeling more than a little nervous, in spite of, or maybe _because_ Hilde cheered his name and everyone else gathered around to watch, Duo stepped up beside Zechs.

Zechs handed him the bean bags, his long fingers brushing over Duo's palm, and Duo shivered.

"Remember how you let me win the first game?" Zechs asked, his voice low.

Duo looked up at him. It was the first time Zechs had voluntarily spoken to him since the ride back from Nan's.

Duo nodded.

"Don't do that now. This isn't a race to five."

"I _know_ what a knock-out tournament is," Duo grumbled, but he felt a flush of pride at the knowledge that _Zechs_ wasn't underestimating him in this - that Zechs fully expected Duo to be able to hold his own.

Zechs smirked slightly and nodded. He gestured for Duo to make the first toss.

Duo turned away and hefted one of the bags. He bit his lip and sighted along his arm, and then tossed the bag. In cleared the whole with a satisfying _swoosh_.

He smirked and looked over at Zechs.

Zechs smirked back. "Don't get too cocky. That's how you lost last time, remember?"

As if Duo could forget.

He looked away when he felt his face heat up, and forced himself to focus on the game at hand and _not_ think about that night. At all.

They won, though it was close - Cathy and Sally were actually really good, but Duo and Zechs sank bag after bag into the hole on the board, keeping a steady lead on them all game.

The first round had eliminated half of the teams, leaving only Duo and Zechs, Heero and Trowa, Hilde and Noin, and Meilin and Wufei to compete in the next round.

Heero and Trowa beat Hilde and Noin, exchanging casual high-fives and smirks after each successful round of throws, and Duo and Zechs just barely managed to beat Meilin and Wufei.

The final round, between Duo and Zechs and Heero and Trowa, was close. A few people - most notably Quatre and Relena - had left the deck already, but most of the staff had remained to see who won. It was nearly eleven, and it was clear that most of them were also fairly drunk by this point - though it didn't seem to have much impact on Zechs, Heero or Trowa. Duo had watched them drink beer after beer, keeping up with everyone else, but now, in the last game, each man glared at the opposing board with clear-eyed determination.

They stayed tied or within one point of each other until the final round, between Zechs and Heero.

Duo and Trowa stood off to the side and watched.

Zechs' first throw landed in the hole, Heero's on the board. Zechs' second landed on the board, Heero's in the hole. Zechs' third throw also landed on the board, and Heero's - in the hole.

"Hell yes!" Trowa cheered loudly, and pumped his fists in the air. It was the most vocal Duo had seen him, and he watched the tall man walk over, high-five Heero, and then pull him into a hug. Heero laughed and Trowa smirked at him.

Zechs scowled and muttered something under his breath.

Duo sighed. "Sorry we lost."

"Not your fault," Zechs said, but he sounded irritated.

"I-" But before Duo could say anything else, before he could even think of _what_ to say, Zechs walked away, off to the parking lot, and a moment later Duo heard the Jeep's ignition turn and then the sound of the tires rolling across gravel.

"There's a _reason_ he and Trowa won every year," Hilde said, coming up beside Duo. "Asshole is just their natural flavor."

Duo snorted a laugh. He didn't know much about Trowa - and while he didn't know much _more_ about Zechs, he knew enough, at least, to agree with that.

-o-


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you, as always, and seriously never enough, to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Six

 _How the hell are they so loud_?

It was the question Duo had asked himself the _first_ day the resident company actors showed up in the tavern for breakfast, and it was the same question he had asked himself again at every meal in the nine days since.

Despite the fact that the sixteen college-aged actors spent all day dancing and singing and rehearsing on the back deck, they _still_ somehow found the energy to spend every damn meal time singing and laughing and joking around and-

Duo couldn't decide if he envied them or just disliked them for it. The technicians worked the same hours, and while Duo _wanted_ to tell himself that the scene shop worked harder than the actors, he knew it wasn't true. But the technical staff absolutely did _not_ have the overabundance of energy that the actors did.

Maybe, Duo decided, that was the difference between them - what made the actors want to perform and the technicians simply want to create.

The result of their arrival and the flood of noise had been the exile of most of the technicians.

In the mornings, instead of eating in the tavern, the crew grabbed their breakfast, filled their coffee mugs, and headed for the scene shop where they ate in the shade of the trees.

For lunch, they migrated to the back deck where the actors usually rehearsed, and the handful of picnic tables set up.

Dinner, unfortunately, was still eaten in the tavern, with the crew unceremoniously pushed away from the tables they had staked out the first week and instead forced to sit in the back of the tavern, as far away from the actors as they could manage to get.

There was _some_ intermingling - of the sixteen actors, eight were male and eight female. A handful of the female actors hung around Heero and Trowa, flirting with them despite the complete lack of encouragement from Heero and the smug, amused smirks from Trowa. There was only one straight male actor, Duo had learned, and _he_ seemed to be focusing all of his attention on the female actors.

The gay male actors seemed to have _immediately_ started sleeping with each other, and they were almost constantly hanging all over each other, flirting and casually touching in intimate ways that made Duo stop and stare.

Things were _not_ like this in the south - and he hadn't known they _could_ be like this. They were acting just like so many heterosexual couples Duo had seen on his college campus, and every time Duo looked at them, every time he saw them touch or whisper into each other's ears, he wondered if there was a chance _he_ would ever be part of something like that.

Not so much the rotating bed schedule they all seemed to share, but that kind of public, affectionate relationship that just looked so normal it was practically subconscious.

Heero had caught Duo staring at the actors, more than once, and after a week of it, finally sat down beside Duo one night on the back deck, after dinner, and offered him a beer.

Duo looked at Heero, then at the beer, and then around the deck.

"Cathy's gone for the night - her boyfriend drove up for the weekend or something," Heero said, and pushed the beer into Duo's hands. "And no one else cares."

Duo accepted the beer and looked at the label.

 _Gilded Otter Rail Trail Pale Ale_.

Duo had had beer before - most of the foster families he had stayed with hadn't cared, and one had even _offered_ Duo beer on a regular basis. But it had been stuff like PBR and Budweiser.

 **Never had craft beer before. Check.**

It had a very bitter aftertaste, and Duo made a face.

Heero chuckled.

"It's kind of hoppy," he shrugged. "Trowa loves it, but… I'm still trying to decide."

Duo had to nod. He couldn't tell if he hated it or liked it.

"Are you two… a thing?" Duo had to ask.

Heero and Trowa sat together at almost all of the meals, and in the evenings, when everyone gathered on the back deck, they either sat beside each other or, a few times now, went off for a walk in the woods before it got too dark.

Heero frowned and shrugged one shoulder. "Not really."

Duo wasn't sure what that meant, and it didn't look like Heero knew either.

"It's summer stock," Heero continued. "The place I worked at last summer - I think half of the staff and company ended up with gonorrhea, there was so much sleeping around."

"Did you?" Duo asked, before he realized that _really_ wasn't a question he should ask.

Heero smirked at him and shook his head.

"No. I went there with my boyfriend - I actually got offered a job here, last year, but I turned it down to be with him. We broke up in the middle of the summer and _he_ got gonorrhea after sleeping his way through the actors, but I…" Heero trailed off and shrugged again.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Like I said, it's summer stock. It's not really the place where you're going to meet the love of your life, and it's also not the best place to _work_ with someone you're dating out in the real world." Heero slanted a look over at Duo. "But you _can_ fool around, you know."

Duo frowned.

"I… okay?"

Heero rolled his eyes and took another sip of his beer, and Duo realized, too late, that Heero might be trying to hit on him.

"Um… are you- I mean- I just figured you and Trowa… I'm not really-"

"Duo, you aren't my type," Heero assured him, chuckling and shaking his head. "I wasn't- I know you're young, and Howard mentioned you don't really have a family or anything and said I should look out for you."

Duo raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Heero nodded. "He thinks Cathy is overprotective, and he figured that since I was new too, and kind of your boss, I might be able to… Honestly, I don't know. He just took me out to _the rock_ and told me to look out for you."

Duo rolled his eyes.

He wondered just when _that_ conversation had happened, and how soon after Duo's trip to _the rock_ it had been.

"Yeah, well, I'm fine. I don't need you to go out of your way or-"

"I'm not going out of my way," Heero assured him. "But you've been kind of obvious, checking out the actors - and also kind of obvious in the way that you _aren't_ flirting with them. Even with that one who keeps trying to talk to you."

Duo frowned. "I'm not checking them out. I'm just- not used to seeing anyone so…" Duo made a vague gesture with his hand.

Heero nodded. "They're actors, so that's part of it, but we're also not in Georgia, Duo."

"No kidding." Duo sighed. "Wait, you said one of them keeps trying to talk to me?"

Heero rolled his eyes. "The tall one? What's his name - Mike or-"

"Micah," Duo supplied, thinking about the tall actor with coffee colored skin and wild, curly black hair who always seemed to be smiling and kept popping up behind Duo in the food lines.

"Him. He cuts in line at every meal just to talk to you and you just shrug him off. Are you not interested, or…?"

"You think he's into me?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Duo had never considered the possibility that one of the actors might be interested in him.

Then again, he had never really considered the possibility of _anyone_ being interested in him.

Duo had always been younger, had always been scrawnier and smaller, and he had always been an outsider.

This was the only place he really felt like he could be _himself_ and have it not matter to anyone.

And, of course, this was the only place where an attractive guy had ever flirted with him, or kissed him, or- or a lot of things.

"So?" Heero prompted when Duo didn't say anything else.

"So what?"

"Need me to be your wingman, or do you want me to tell him to leave you alone, or-"

"What are we talking about?"

Trowa came over and sat down on Heero's other side, spreading his legs out so that one of his thighs pressed against Heero's, the move so confident and casual-looking that Duo wasn't sure whether it was on purpose or a mistake.

"Getting Duo laid," Heero said with a smirk.

Trowa's eyes practically glowed with amusement as he took a sip from another bottle of the pale ale.

 _He_ didn't make a face at the bitter aftertaste.

"Again?" he asked, a mocking tilt to his lips.

Heero turned from Trowa to Duo.

"Again?"

Duo glared at Trowa, but the electrician looked completely unruffled.

"Set your sights on someone new, or-"

"Who did you-"

"Thanks for the beer, but I think I'm going to go and take a shower," Duo cut off Heero.

He got to his feet and glared down at Trowa.

"Don't-"

"Oh, chill out," Trowa waved him away. "I'm just giving you shit. No one cares. Well, no one besides _Cathy_ cares."

"That's because no one _knows_ ," Duo hissed, looking over at Heero, who was scowling at both of them.

Trowa rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry. I won't say anything."

Duo wasn't entirely sure he could trust Trowa, but he also knew that if Trowa _wanted_ to tell Heero, he had already had plenty of opportunities to do so.

With a sigh, Duo left the deck and headed upstairs, to the room he shared with Quatre, to grab his towel and shower kit.

He opened the door and immediately had to cover his eyes with his hands.

"What the fuck?!"

"Hi, Duo," Relena called out, her voice filled with laughter.

Duo peeked between his fingers, but Relena and Quatre were still in the exact same position they had been in when he entered the room - both completely naked, Relena on all fours on Quatre's bed and Quatre kneeling behind her.

"I just… I want to take a shower."

"We won't stop you," Quatre assured him, just as amused as Relena.

"I need my stuff." It sounded like a whine, but Duo couldn't help it. "Can you just… throw a sheet over yourselves or something?"

Relena laughed, her voice bright and, if Duo hadn't been horribly embarrassed, he would have had to smile at the sound. But since he _was_ horribly embarrassed, all he could do was blush.

There was a rustling sound, and then Quatre spoke up.

"Alright. You can open your eyes now."

Duo cautiously did so, and sighed in relief when he saw that Quatre had literally just thrown a sheet over them - covering them both entirely.

"Thanks," he muttered as he walked over to his side of the room and searched for his things.

"About this shower you plan on taking, is it going to be one of those really, really long ones where you wash your hair, or more of the quick in and out kind?" Quatre asked, his voice muffled by the sheet.

Duo sighed. "Why?"

"Well, if it's going to be the long kind, Relena and I were going to try-"

"Fine. Long. I'll take a really fucking long shower."

"Thanks, Duo!"

"Yeah, anytime," Duo muttered. He threw his towel over his shoulder and picked up his kit.

"I'm going now," he announced when he made it to the door.

He didn't wait for a response, just let himself out and firmly closed the door behind him.

Duo _almost_ made it to the shower without incident, but as he cut through the main theatre to get backstage, to the showers, he ran into Zechs, bumping off of his Emerson hoodie chest and stumbling back a step.

Zechs reached out to steady him, one hand grabbing Duo's elbow.

"Thanks. Sorry."

"Not a problem."

They stared at each other, and Duo had a hard time looking away.

Over the past two weeks, Zechs had done a very thorough job of ignoring Duo more than half of the time.

In the scene shop, Duo usually worked with either Meilin or Hilde on projects, while Heero worked on complicated builds by himself and Zechs spent the majority of his time drafting, shopping, or checking over their work and answering questions.

At meal times, Zechs always sat with his little clique - Treize, Wufei, Une and Noin - and when he hung out on the back deck in the evenings, he still only stayed for an hour or so before taking off.

It meant that Duo and Zechs were almost never alone, and almost never had to talk unless Duo specifically asked Zechs a question - which Zechs would almost always answer without looking at him.

It meant that Duo _still_ wasn't used to being this close to Zechs, or looking at him, or realizing just how unfairly gorgeous he was.

It also meant that, on the few occasions when Zechs _did_ look at him, or talk to him, Duo found himself staring back in silence, like an idiot.

Like now.

"I, uh, was just going to take a shower."

Zechs arched one of his pale eyebrows.

"Are you asking for permission?"

Duo flushed.

"No. I- no."

Zechs' lips quirked, and Duo couldn't help but remember what it had felt like to have those lips smirking against his skin.

"Enjoy your shower, Duo." Zechs said his name like a caress, and Duo found himself taking a step forward, closer to Zechs, before he stopped himself.

"Yeah. Um, thanks."

Duo eased around Zechs and started to walk in the other direction, but he paused and looked over his shoulder before leaving the theatre, and saw Zechs looking back at him.

Flushing again, Duo escaped to the shower.

It was, thankfully and uncharacteristically, empty. More than once, Duo had had to wait for one of the two men's shower stalls to open up, and more than once Duo had actually fallen asleep leaning against the wall while he waited.

Tonight, everyone else was either on the back deck talking - or up in Duo's room having sex - so he had the luxury of _picking_ the shower stall closest to the outside wall and cranking the water on to heat up before he got in.

While he waited for it to get hot, Duo shed his clothes and started to unbraid his hair.

He wasn't able to wash it every day, because of how time and labor-intensive it was, but tonight he had every intention of taking the time.

He also had every intention of _not_ thinking about anyone or anything else - not Trowa being an ass, or Heero trying to be his friend, or Quatre and Relena having what looked like very athletic and enthusiastic sex in his room, or Zechs teasing Duo and being gorgeous and smirking, and what the _hell_ had that been about? Staring at Duo as he walked away?

Duo stepped into the shower, sighing in relief at the hot water, and immediately started to lather up his hair with shampoo.

And, of course, he thought about Zechs, about Zechs' hands tugging on his braid that night, about Zechs' hands on his back, his ass and-

Duo let his fingers wander down, tracing the path of his thoughts, of his memory, and circled around the pucker of his anus.

Masturbating over the past two weeks had certainly been interesting, had certainly been more involved and more _intense_ now that Duo had had sex. It wasn't just the fact that he was able to clearly picture Zechs fucking him - or jerking him off, or sucking him off -instead of just watching porn or squeezing his eyes shut tight and _trying_ to imagine being fucked. Because of that night, now Duo knew so many more ways to touch himself, knew how to finger his ass and pinch and roll his nipples.

Usually, Duo restrained himself in the shower to a quick hand job, lathering up his cock and stroking it firmly and quickly while picturing Zechs doing it to him instead, remembering the parking lot, and letting his hand explore his body in the few minutes it took to bring himself off.

But, tonight, Duo _had_ promised Quatre and Relena he would take a very long fucking shower.

So he spread more shampoo on his fingers, spread his legs and braced himself against the wall with his left forearm, and imagined Zechs, naked and smirking and standing behind him in the shower stall, crowding him close to the wall and biting his ear, his shoulder, his back.

Imagined Zechs easing one long finger into Duo's body, slow and teasing, waiting for Duo to push back, to force Zechs deeper until he found that spot, until Duo had to bite down on his own fist to keep from moaning out loud and he saw flashes of light behind his closed eyes.

" _Say please_ ," Zechs would say, chuckling, when Duo wanted more. And he would wait, would force Duo to say he wanted another finger, to say _please_ , and then he would slide his slick fingers deep, would curl them into Duo's body as Duo shuddered and pressed his cheek against the cool tile of the shower and tried not to whimper.

It felt _so_ fucking good, so amazing to have his body filled like this, and three fingers felt even better, felt achingly close to Zechs' shaft sliding in and out of his body, slow and tormenting, until Duo had to push back, had to upset the too-steady pace by propelling his ass down, drawing his fingers in deep.

Three fingers felt good, but two were easier to fuck himself with, and Duo adjusted his position, keeping his forehead pressed against the wall, and lathered up two fingers again before plunging them back into his body, so hard and swift that he moaned before he could stop himself.

 _Fuck._

It felt so good, so impossibly fucking good, and he could practically hear Zechs' rough, raw breathing matching his own.

Could feel his work-roughened hands on Duo's skin, rolling first one nipple and then the other, until Duo was arching his back, curving into the torture while still pushing back on the fingers in his ass, still straining to hit that amazing, magical spot and-

" _Fuck_ ," Duo gasped, his orgasm catching him by surprise, coming so fast and so hard he almost lost his balance and fell down in the shower stall.

He pulled his fingers out of his body and let himself slide down to the floor of the shower as he tried to remember how to breathe.

 _That_ had never happened before.

He had tried to finger himself twice before - since that night - and while it had felt really fucking good both times, Duo had had to wrap his other hand around his cock, had had to work over his flesh in quick, brutal strokes while clenching his ass cheeks together to get off.

But not tonight.

Tonight - Duo hadn't even touched his cock and yet he had come so intensely that he hadn't been able to _stand_ afterwards.

Duo couldn't help but smirk, and then laugh.

He needed to run into Zechs more often before taking a shower.

-o-

The first load-in of the season felt like it had taken months to arrive, but then, on Sunday afternoon, as the crew worked to finish up the scenery for the first show, it suddenly felt like only yesterday when Noin, the scenic designer, had stepped into the shop and shown the crew her plans for _Chicago_.

It was a two-storey set, featuring two staircases and a cantilevered platform that, when they were all installed, were going to be massive and amazing.

Everything - the walls and stairs - were painted a dark, _lusty_ red (according to Noin and Quatre) with chrome trim and gloss black detailing.

The scenery was the most ambitious Duo had ever worked on - and all of it had been assembled in less than ten days.

The crew spent the morning and early afternoon finishing up what they could, Quatre fighting with Zechs and the carpenters for just _one_ more hour to paint, until, finally, there were _no_ more hours to paint and the dinner bell rang.

On his way over to the tavern, Duo cut through the main theatre, tagging along with Meilin and Hilde, to see the progress that Trowa and Une, the lighting designer, had made.

Three days ago, the pipes and truss work above the audience and stage had been totally bare, but now, lighting fixtures were hung from nearly _every_ available surface.

Trowa was up on a ladder, perfectly balanced but at an angle that Duo knew, if _he_ had been standing there, would have resulted in him immediately falling.

"Look at that, squints actually _working_ for once," Meilin called out to Trowa.

Still on the ladder, one hand adjusting the shutters on a light fixture, Trowa held out his other hand and gave her the finger.

Meilin and Hilde chuckled, and Duo had to smirk. It was the classic rivalry in theatre - carpenters against electricians, and while Duo was on _this_ side of it for now, as the technical intern, he would be spending a fair amount of time working with electrics this summer as well.

Which was the entire reason he had come through the theatre in the first place.

He turned to Une, seated in the middle of the audience behind a long, makeshift table covered with monitors and programming boards.

"Hey, Zechs said I would be working with you for the changeover?"

She didn't even look up from the board she was typing on.

"Do you know how to focus a light?"

"Yeah. I worked as an electrician on-"

"I don't need your life story." She waved her hand dismissively. "After dinner, go find Trowa and he'll do something with you."

Duo rolled his eyes at the back of her head, but walked away to catch up to Meilin and Hilde as they left the theatre.

On the back deck, at night, he had heard the others casually refer to Une as a complete and utter bitch, had seen Trowa shrug one shoulder and defend Une with a lackluster "So?", but before that moment, Duo hadn't had any first-hand encounters with her.

He didn't feel very enthusiastic about the rest of the night - not between Une and _Trowa_ , who still seemed to amuse himself by looking over at Duo and smirking knowingly every once in awhile.

Duo was one of the last to get into line for dinner - the actors, who would be staying to help with changeover, had all finished up just before the technicians, and had gotten to the tavern first.

Without even thinking about it, Duo scanned the line for Micah's dark head and saw him, halfway up the line, talking to one of the actors.

However, Micah turned and saw Duo, his lips stretching into a grin that lit up his entire face, and stepped out of the line to walk back to Duo.

"Hey," Micah greeted him.

"Hey. How was rehearsal?"

Ever since Heero's back-deck suggestion a few nights ago, Duo had tried - albeit not with much success - to talk to Micah, to _flirt_ with him.

Micah shrugged. "Long. Hot. Exactly what I wanted to spend all day doing before loading in your set all night."

"Hey, it's _your_ set - I'm not using it, you all are," Duo pointed out.

Micah sighed. "Sure, whatever. But I'm an actor, not free labor."

Duo arched an eyebrow at that, but decided not to comment. He had heard a fair number of the resident company actors complain about having to work load-ins and changeovers every other Sunday, from six to midnight. He could understand their complaints, but at the same time, the technicians _needed_ the help to get everything set-up in such a short timeframe.

"Anyway," Duo tried to change the subject, "I'm working on electrics tonight, not scenery."

Micah grinned. "What a coincidence - so am I. Now I can check you out all night without looking too lame."

Duo rolled his eyes, and was about to respond to that, but he saw Zechs standing just behind Micah, scowling at them.

"Could you two move this along so the rest of us can eat?"

Micah rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of me to go around - no need to be jealous," he said with a smirk.

Zechs raised his eyebrows in Duo's direction, his judgement _very_ clear.

Duo blushed, grabbed a plate, and glared down at the food instead of looking at either one of them.

He was grateful when Micah peeled away to go eat with the other actors, even more grateful when Zechs made his hamburgers in record time and walked away without another word.

Duo sighed, added another slice of cheese to each of his hamburgers, and sat down at his usual spot, between Heero and Hilde, at the table with Trowa, Relena and Quatre.

"Trouble in paradise?" Trowa asked, amused, as usual, at Duo's expense.

Duo glared at him and took an aggressive bite of his burger in response.

Trowa chuckled, but thankfully didn't push the point, despite the interested looks from everyone else at the table.

Or maybe, Duo realized, _because_ of the interested looks from everyone else. Trowa, Duo decided, liked knowing something that no one else did - and he wasn't about to go telling everyone a secret when he got so much more attention and amusement by keeping it.

That knowledge made Duo both like and dislike Trowa a little more, but it also made him relax.

"Une told me you would put me to work after dinner," Duo said after swallowing the burger.

Trowa nodded, and his gaze flickered over to Micah.

"You want to work with your new boyfriend or not?" Trowa asked, and even though Duo wanted to be irritated at Trowa still teasing him, Duo appreciated the fact that Trowa was _asking_ him.

He shrugged. "I don't care. Whatever's going to be more helpful."

Trowa looked mildly impressed by the response.

"He _is_ taller than you," Trowa mused. "So maybe he can pass you gel and cable while you do the ladder work - Zechs said you've done a lot of electrics?"

Duo wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Zechs and Trowa had talked about him professionally _and_ personally, and he wondered if the two conversations had happened at the same time.

But he pushed the thought away and nodded. He was pretty sure that Howard had sent Zechs Duo's resume and asked whether or not he had wanted to hire Duo as the intern before offering Duo the job.

"More electrics than carpentry," Duo shrugged. CSU always seemed to have more upper-class carpenters than electricians, and in order to avoid the grunt work - painting flats with primer and sorting through screws - Duo had asked to be assigned to the electrics crews whenever possible.

"Good. Une hates programming the moving lights, so I'll be stuck doing that all night. You and your boyfriend can work on focusing the conventional lights with her while I do that, and I'll have our other actor-helpers sort cable and gel."

"You know, he's _not_ my boyfriend," Duo had to point out.

Heero snorted. "Not because he doesn't want to be."

Hilde nodded in agreement. "Seriously, Duo, Micah's eyes are practically glued to your ass."

Duo looked over at Relena and Quatre but, as usual, they were more focused on each other than the conversation around them.

Trowa looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he took a sip of his drink and glanced in Zechs' direction.

Duo _almost_ wished Trowa wasn't so fucking annoying - it would be _nice_ to have someone to talk to about Zechs and Micah and- and maybe not. Duo wasn't a kid. He should really be able to figure this shit out on his own by now.

The rest of dinner was uneventful except one of the actresses stopped by their table to beg Heero to let her work with him instead of in the costume shop, somehow thinking that practically feeling him up as he tried to eat would help her case. Instead, Heero just shied away from her touch and insisted that the assignments were out of his hands, and Trowa looked like he was barely holding back laughter at Heero's obvious discomfort.

"Come on," Trowa sighed as he looked at his phone, "let's get moving or we're going to be here until the sun rises."

Even though the actors were only required to work until midnight, the technicians would work until the set, lights, sound and costumes were ready for the Monday night dress rehearsal - which meant, Hilde had warned Duo, that they would probably be working until at least three or four in the morning before taking a five-hour break and then getting back to work.

Duo followed Trowa, shoving the rest of his burger into his mouth as he bused his plate.

"Just gotta run to my room and get my wrench and gloves," he told Trowa, "and I'll be right there."

Trowa nodded and went ahead into the theatre while Duo ran upstairs.

He grabbed his crescent wrench, on its long black cord of tie-line, and hooked it through a belt loop on his shorts before shoving his gloves into his back pocket. Duo also grabbed the white bandana on his nightstand and tied it around his head, shoving his bangs back so that they wouldn't end up plastered to his face with sweat and grime.

Back in the theatre, he helped Trowa haul out the ladders onto the stage and set them up.

It was another ten minutes before the actors filtered into the theatre, taking their sweet time and chatting with each other as if there _wasn't_ a massive set to install and six hours of work ahead of them.

"Actors," Zechs bellowed when he walked in from the back deck, carrying a tool belt over one shoulder and the portable chop-saw in his hands. "Find your assigned crew head and get to _work_. If you're on carpentry, go find Heero. If you're on costumes, go find Wufei. If you're on lights, go find Trowa. But get off your _asses_ _now_."

Two actors had made the mistake of sitting down in the house, but _all_ of them jumped to attention and dispersed in the face of Zechs' irritation.

Trowa and Duo exchanged amused smirks at that, before Trowa jerked his head in Une's direction.

"She likes to go fast, but she hates mistakes. So if you need to take the time, just tell her you're working and do it."

Duo nodded, grateful for the advice.

"And don't let your boyfriend distract you - Une hates that shit."

"For the _last time,_ he is not my boyfriend. Micah is-"

"Who said I was talking about Micah?" Trowa asked, but before Duo could respond, he jumped off the front of the stage and walked over to Une.

And, of course, Duo couldn't help but look over at Zechs after _that_ comment.

And, of course, Zechs was looking right at him.

Duo lifted his eyebrows in question, but Zechs just frowned and turned away.

"Alright. I'm ready to stare at your ass all night while you're on a ladder."

Duo sighed and turned to see Micah grinning down at him.

"At least one of us will have a good view," he muttered, and Micah chuckled.

"We could switch off - you can check out _my_ fine ass if you want."

Duo arched an eyebrow. "You know how to focus lights?"

"No, of course not. But I know how to _act_ like I'm focusing lights."

Duo snorted and shook his head.

"Yeah, probably not the best use of your acting skills."

-o-

By midnight, any interest Duo had had in Micah was thoroughly squashed.

He might be good-looking, and he might be funny, but when his only job for six hours was to make sure Duo didn't fall off a ladder and pass him gels, cable and shutters, Micah got _very_ bored. And when Micah got bored, he tended to ignore his job and instead just negligently keep one hand on the ladder and try to talk to his friends.

Duo had lost count of the number of times he had had to ask Micah to _please_ stop talking to the other actors and put his feet back on the base of the ladder. Trowa, sitting in the middle of the theatre and programming lights, had even yelled at Micah twice, and Zechs, walking past them while carrying a platform, had paused long enough to tell Micah to get his head out of his ass and focus.

On one hand, Duo could sympathize with Micah being bored.

On the other, there was _work_ to do, and it irritated him that Micah simply didn't seem to _care_ that the slower things went, the longer Duo and the rest of the technicians would be stuck working. Some of the other actors got it - Duo saw them working their asses off - but Micah and a few others, mostly guys, just moved at a sedate pace, half their attention anywhere _but_ on the tasks at hand.

"Five minutes left!" Micah announced to all of the other actors, looking at his phone while Duo repositioned the ladder to get to the hanging pipe of lights just in front of the stage.

It would be tricky - he needed to lean the ladder against the wall of the theatre, but even then, because of how short he was, Duo was going to have to stretch a lot to reach them.

He frowned and looked over at Micah, at least six inches taller than Duo.

"No way - I hate heights," Micah shook his head.

"I thought you wanted me to check out your ass?" Duo tried to bargain, though, in truth, _he_ didn't care much about that anymore.

"Not enough to _die_ for it."

Duo sighed, but really, it wasn't Micah's job to do this kind of thing.

"Just, please, brace the ladder? If you don't, I'm probably going to fall."

"I haven't let you fall _yet_ ," Micah pointed out, but, after Duo glared at the phone in his hand, Micah put it into his back pocket.

"Thanks."

Duo pulled on his gloves and started climbing the ladder, trying to ignore the way it rattled against the wall.

"Stand on the bottom rung," he called down to Micah when he got to the top.

The ladder shook, and Duo looked down to see Micah bracing it securely.

Feeling safe, Duo looked up at the first light, just slightly out of comfortable reaching distance. He climbed up another rung, past the point where it was really safe, and was able to reach the light.

"Ready," he called out to Une, who was impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for him.

"Focus it here," she said, and moved towards the far left side of the stage.

The light had been hung securely by Trowa earlier in the day, and Duo had to put a lot of effort into turning it in the direction Une wanted, pushing against it so hard that he almost fell off the ladder.

"Careful," Micah called up.

"Trying to be," Duo muttered, and then grunted as he strained to _finally_ get the light in the right direction.

"Good. Drop the barrel - keep going, keep- stop. Right there. Soften the focus, keep- stop there. Bring in the bottom shutter - cut it more - good. Alright, drop in the R02."

Micah climbed up a few steps on the ladder to pass Duo the frame R02 gel.

Duo put it in the front of the light and locked everything down.

And then he looked at the second light, even farther away than the first, and sighed.

"Hey - don't leave without me!" Micah called out below, and Duo looked to see most of the other actors gathered in the back of the house, sitting down and chatting.

"Micah," Duo cautioned.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got you," Micah said, one hand on the rungs and one foot on the base, but he didn't bother to look up at Duo.

"Let's get a move on," Une snapped.

Duo had to turn around, so that his ass was on the wall of the theatre and he was leaning _away_ from the ladder, to reach the next light.

 _Fuck me_.

Duo wasn't afraid of heights - but he was sure as shit afraid of _falling_.

He made the mistake of glancing down, at the row of seats fourteen feet below him, and had to swallow the rush of bile and adrenaline.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck_.

"Today?" Une sounded ready to climb up the ladder herself.

"Ready," Duo managed to call out.

"I want the light upstage and-"

Whatever else Une wanted was completely drowned out by the rush of fear that flooded through Duo when he felt the ladder shift under his feet.

He _just_ had time to look down and see that Micah had stepped away, was looking at the back of the theatre and had his fucking phone out, and then-

Then Duo felt three seconds of blinding panic as the world shifted and fell away under him, and then the ladder fell to the floor and Duo fell with it.

-o-

"Duo. Duo. Du-"

"Stop saying my name," Duo moaned. He blinked his eyes open and then instantly regretted it.

The lights felt intensely bright, blinding him and competing with the throbbing pain in his skull and his entire body, and-

"Oh fuck, am I dead?"

He heard a snort of laughter and tried to turn his head.

"No, don't move." Duo felt a hand on the side of his face, stopping him.

"Zechs?"

"Yes - can you see me?"

Duo blinked again, and tried to focus in the direction of the familiar voice. He rolled his eyes and saw Zechs, his face slowly coming into focus, his t-shirt stained with sweat and paint, his hair shoved under his Red Sox hat but a few strands loose around his face.

"I can see you. S'not fair that you look so good when-"

"Give him some room," Zechs said loudly, speaking over Duo.

Duo looked around and saw Trowa, Heero, Hilde and Meilin standing near him, saw a huddle of actors just beyond them, and-

"There's an ambulance on the way," Zechs said, his voice low and comforting, and Duo tried to think about just _that_ , tried to focus on Zechs' voice and not the incredible pain he felt.

His forehead felt wet and hot, and Duo reached up to wipe at it, but Zechs caught his hand.

"Leave it. There's a lot of blood, but- it's a scalp wound. Those tend to bleed a lot."

Duo realized that Zechs was incredibly pale.

"You got a problem with blood?"

Zechs just nodded.

Duo grinned at that, bizarrely amused that Zechs looked ready to vomit.

"Duo? Oh God, Duo, I'm so sorry I-"

Duo managed to look over and see Micah, his face wet with tears, leaving the cluster of actors.

Trowa stepped in Micah's way before he could get too close, one hand on his chest, physically restraining him.

"He needs air," Trowa said, his voice cold and hard.

Micah looked miserable and ready to start crying again.

"Duo-"

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Duo tried to turn at the sound of the new voice, but Zechs held him down.

"Howard, there's an ambulance on the way."

The theatre owner walked into view, Cathy at his side, and Duo had to grin at the sight of the older man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses after midnight.

"Jesus fucking - please tell me that bandana was red to begin with."

Well. _That_ didn't sound good, and the glare that Zechs gave Howard didn't help comfort Duo at _all_.

Howard sighed, and took off his sunglasses to rub his eyes.

"Alright. Actors - get out of here. Don't forget to be here at five-thirty tomorrow night for the dress rehearsal. The rest of you," Howard gestured to the technicians, "get back to work. Cathy - can you go with Duo to the hospital?"

The red haired woman frowned and shook her head.

"No, I need to drive into the city to pick up the director for _Rocky_. His flight gets in at two-thirty, and-"

"Fuck. Right. Of course." Howard sighed and looked at Zechs. "Who can you spare to go with him?"

"I'm fine," Duo spoke up. "I don't need-"

"You're not fine," Zechs snapped. "I'll go with him. The last thing we're doing tonight is installing the door units, and Heero knows what to do."

Zechs looked over at the master carpenter, who nodded in agreement.

"We were going to turn the stage over to electrics after that, and my carpenters need to get some sleep - I don't want them wasting their time sitting in a waiting room at the hospital."

Duo scowled at that, at Zechs saying it would be _wasting_ time to be with him. But then again, it was the truth.

Howard sighed again.

"Fine, fine. Just- keep Cathy and me updated."

Howard knelt down beside Duo.

"Kid, I'm really sorry this happened. I'll talk to you once you've been patched up."

The expression on the older man's face was grim, and Duo realized that he might be in trouble.

After all, _he_ had fallen off the ladder. _He_ had been the one to fuck up and-

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Kid, stop apologizing right now. The way Trowa said it went down, you didn't do anything wrong."

Howard squeezed his shoulder.

Duo dimly heard the sound of sirens and saw Zechs sigh in relief.

Howard stood up and walked out of Duo's line of sight.

"Duo."

It was Cathy, and Duo hoped she wasn't about to yell at him.

"You listed your professor from school as your emergency contact. I'm going to give him a call, but is there someone else? Your family or-"

"Don't wake him up." Duo tried to shake his head and immediately regretted it when his vision blurred and his stomach protested. He drew in an unsteady breath and closed his eyes.

"He's not- I just had to put someone down. There's no one to call."

"Sir, can you move back?"

Duo heard an unfamiliar voice speaking, and opened his eyes to see paramedics pushing Zechs out of the way and reaching for Duo.

 **Never fallen off a ladder before. Check.**

 **Never had someone hold my hand while I was carried out on a stretcher to an ambulance. Check.**

 **Never had someone fight to sit in an ambulance with me. Check.**

-o-


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you, as always, and seriously never enough, to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

A/N#4: This is the LAST pre-written chapter for this. I WILL continue it, and Chapter 8 is about a third of the way written, but just as a heads up - it's not ready to go up yet.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Seven

"Oh my goodness, sweetheart, what _happened_ to you?"

Duo sighed and resisted his natural urge to jerk his face away from Nan's hands as she reached for his chin.

"I fell," he said. In the last week, he had had to say that a _lot,_ and the looks he got in return had varied from disbelieving to disgusted.

He had been lucky - at least, that was what the ER doctor had said when she sat down to start suturing the three inch long laceration that ran from just above Duo's left eyebrow and into his hairline. Lucky, because she had just finished a plastics rotation and the twenty-five stitches she put into his skin would, she assured Duo, leave him with a _very_ thin scar once it was completely healed in a few months. Lucky, because aside from the laceration, a mild concussion and a sprained wrist, Duo was okay despite falling thirteen feet and landing on the back of a seat in the theatre. Lucky, because he had _such_ an attentive boyfriend who sat there holding Duo's hand the whole time she put the stitches in. Lucky, she corrected herself when Duo and Zechs both rushed to say they _weren't_ dating, that he had such an attentive _boss_.

Lucky wasn't exactly how Duo felt - not after six hours in the hospital, or twenty-four more of having everyone constantly checking on him and Cathy or Quatre waking him up every two hours to make sure he hadn't died or something. Not after a week of seeing Micah's eyes fill with tears every single time he looked at Duo and having to fend off his attempts to apologize and hug Duo. Not after having the sutures removed on Friday and adhesive strips plastered onto his skin instead. Not after he had looked in the mirror and seen just how awful the wound looked, how deep and dark the circles around his eyes were. Not after Zechs had told him to go work in the box office all week, while his wrist healed and his face was still so tender. Not after having to work as an usher for every performance of _Chicago_ and having to explain just _why_ he looked like Frankenstein's monster to all of the patrons who stared at him.

Nan was only the latest of _many_ old women who had grabbed his face and looked at him with horror.

"Fell off what, a cliff?" she demanded.

"A ladder. I'm fine," he assured her.

"You don't _look_ fine," she muttered, but she finally accepted the program from him. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"I'll try," he assured her.

She walked past him, shaking her head.

"It's too bad you're gay."

Duo looked over to see Trowa, leaning against the door that led to the booth, smirking at him.

Duo looked at him blankly, and Trowa jerked his head towards Nan's retreating back.

"The old ladies are loving your whole pathetic, injured look."

Duo rolled his eyes at Trowa.

"Of course, _Zechs_ keeps-"

"Welcome to the show, hope you enjoy your evening," Duo said loudly as the next patron approached.

Trowa smirked and walked off, his work done.

Duo wasn't sure _what_ Trowa had been about to say Zechs kept doing - because Zechs kept doing a _lot_.

He kept finding reasons to walk past the box office multiple times a day, kept looking at Duo during meal times or at night on the back deck. _Somehow,_ he managed to convince Cathy that he should be the one to take Duo back to the hospital to get the sutures removed on Friday, and every time Zechs saw Micah, the technical director glared at him with so much obvious fury that Micah had started to avoid even being in the same _room_ with him.

It was all… very overwhelming for Duo. He wasn't used to people caring about him - not even just enough to ask why he had a massive wound on his face covered in bandages - and the fact that _everyone_ at Bethel Playhouse seemed concerned about him left Duo feeling uncomfortable. The fact that _Zechs_ seemed to be going out of his way to check up on Duo was even more difficult to deal with. He clearly _cared_ about Duo - and maybe he was just being an attentive boss, but when Duo had had strep throat last semester, _no one_ \- not his professors or his roommate, who understandably decided to sleep in his girlfriend's room for a week - had thought to check on him outside of two emails.

Just as confusing to Duo, though in a different way, was the fact that Trowa, Heero, Hilde, Quatre and Relena - who had all seemed to like Duo well enough _before_ he fell off a ladder - seemed to have worked out a rotation of some kind to make sure that Duo was never alone. Hilde kept insisting on getting his food for him, even after Duo pointed out that his wrist was sprained and not broken. Heero had been the one to clean out Duo's wound all week, because, he assured Duo, it was a pain in the ass to do it himself, and if he fucked up his head he was going to have an ugly scar. Trowa, who seemed to simultaneously do _nothing_ all day _and_ work his ass off, used the proximity of the lighting booth to the box office as an excuse to drop by and tease Duo - either by hinting at Zechs preparing ways to murder Micah and make it look like an accident, or finding helpful workplace safety videos on the internet and forcing Duo to watch them while explaining how Duo should commit them to memory to avoid almost dying in the future. Quatre and Relena had decided that sitting with Duo on the back deck every night, one on either side of him, and trying their best to make him laugh and enjoy himself was important enough to take precedence over sneaking off and having sex.

It was weird, and too much to deal with, and Duo was so, _so_ glad it was finally Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow was their day off, and after the show ended today, everyone at the theatre planned to escape for the next thirty-six hours.

Quatre and Relena were going to the city as soon as the show went down - which meant Duo would finally have some time _alone_. He wasn't sure what everyone else was doing - most of the actors were also going into the city, and a few of the technicians had mentioned going camping or driving to the next town to see a movie on Monday afternoon.

All Duo wanted to do was curl up in his bed and finally _sleep_.

Which he promptly did as soon as the last patron car pulled out of the parking lot at 5:30.

-o-

It was dark when Duo woke up, and his head was aching, which meant he had probably rolled over on it while sleeping, which meant Heero would probably give him shit about it and-

Yep. There was a swipe of reddish-brown blood on his pillow.

 _Fuck_.

Duo groaned and sat up, reaching for his phone to check the time.

9:30.

As if to remind him how much of an idiot he was for falling asleep and not setting an alarm, Duo's stomach rumbled.

With a sigh, he grabbed a baby wipe from the package on his nightstand and headed down to the bathroom to see the damage he had done to his face.

It wasn't bad, actually, just a small bit of crusted blood in his hair where the skin wasn't healing quite as fast as the rest on his forehead.

Duo cleaned it off and thought about what he was going to do for dinner.

He had missed the tavern meal - served immediately after the show - and he was pretty sure that almost everyone else had gone out for the night, which meant he was on his own.

And the nearest place to grab food would be Mike's.

Duo headed back up to his room, grabbed his wallet and pulled on his boots and, as an afterthought, grabbed the blue sweater he had stolen from Zechs and pulled it on.

Even though it was the first week of June, the temperature still dropped into the fifties or forties at night up here, and Duo simply hadn't thought _summer_ was going to get this cold. And even so, living in Georgia hadn't really prepared him for dressing for the cold.

The walk to Mike's felt good, the cool air on his face waking him up and relaxing him, and if he maybe jogged the last half-mile after hearing a rustling in the woods beside the road, well, that was good exercise.

When he arrived at the bar, Duo was surprised to see it was packed - both pool tables in use, all of the tables filled, and most of the bar.

He was even more surprised - though he probably shouldn't have been - to see Zechs, Treize, Une, Noin and Wufei sitting at a table in the corner, drinking and eating together.

Wufei saw him come in and frowned slightly, but made no move to acknowledge Duo or alert the others, so Duo walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool.

"What happened to you, kid?"

It was Mike, and Duo wondered if the bartender remembered him or simply felt the same curiosity about Duo's wound as everyone else.

"I fell off a ladder," he muttered.

"That was _you_?" Mike chuckled and shook his head.

"What do you mean that was _me_?"

"Zechs told me his intern almost bought the farm. I didn't realize _you_ were his intern." Mike arched an eyebrow at Duo. "From the way you two were acting your first time here, I didn't think you worked for him."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know who he was," Duo sighed, not at all thrilled about the fact that it seemed like he now had a _reputation_.

Mike arched an eyebrow and his lips twitched, but he didn't comment on that.

"What can I get for you, burger and coke again?"

Duo nodded gratefully.

"I- it's okay for me to be here, right? Even though I'm not twenty-one?" he asked, remembering how pissed Zechs had been about that.

Mike shrugged.

"Like I said last time, don't try to con my waitresses into offering you anything and I don't have a problem with it." He turned to go, then paused and looked over his shoulder at Duo with a smirk. "But I should probably warn you - if you try that punk-ass pool shark game on the guys here tonight, they won't be as nice to you as Zechs was."

Duo followed Mike's gaze over to the leather-clad crew at the pool tables.

They looked like they would have no problem beating the shit out of Duo if he took their money.

He turned back to Mike and held up his wrist, still wrapped in the brace.

"Yeah, I think I'll just stick to food tonight."

Mike chuckled.

"Good plan."

He walked back to the kitchen and Duo rested his elbows on the bar, propping his chin up, and couldn't resist looking over at the table with Zechs and the others again.

They looked like they were having a good time, Treize and Zechs arguing about something but smirking while they spoke, Une rolling her eyes, and Noin shaking her head while Wufei just kept his gaze on Zechs.

Duo realized that it wasn't the first time Wufei had sat around staring at Zechs.

Even at night, when they all sat around on the back deck and Wufei looked like he would rather be sawing off his arm than listen to Hilde and Quatre argue about Star Wars again, Wufei would either grab the seat closest to Zechs or spent the entire hour that Zechs stayed staring at the blond haired man, his dark gaze longing.

 _Shit_.

It made sense - Zechs was incredibly sexy, and Wufei clearly had good taste if he was attracted to the older man. Wufei was even closer in age to Zechs - he was a second year grad student at SUNY-Purchase - and he was also attractive. And experienced, if Trowa's muttered comments about safety first, even when having sex with bossy wardrobe techs, were anything to go by.

Wufei even had long hair - not as long as Duo's, but probably long enough if Zechs was really into that.

And Zechs wasn't Wufei's boss. If they hooked up, no one would give Zechs long lectures in the shop or by _the rock_. And Wufei probably wasn't enough of an idiot to sneak out on Zechs while he slept after a night of amazing sex.

Duo sighed.

It didn't matter.

If Zechs and Wufei hooked up - great for them. If they didn't, well, that wasn't any of Duo's business either.

Duo's one night with Zechs _had_ been amazing, but that was all it was ever going to be - one night. And while it had definitely given Duo plenty of fodder for both fantasies and regrets, it was pretty clear that Zechs had no interest in trying to do anything else with Duo. And even if he did, Cathy would probably castrate him if she ever found out.

Predictably, Zechs looked over and caught Duo staring at him.

He held Duo's gaze for a moment, his expression totally unreadable, and then stood up from the table.

Duo sighed when he saw Zechs make his way towards the bar, fully prepared for Zechs to chew him out for being here and being underage.

Zechs walked over and leaned on the bar beside Duo, his body blocking Duo's view of the table.

He didn't say anything, though, and Duo wondered why he had bothered to come over.

"Looks like you're having a good time," Duo said, wincing at how lame that was.

Zechs' lips twitched as he glanced back at his table.

"I'd invite you to join us, but then I'd have to put up with Treize undressing you with his eyes and Une complaining about you bleeding all over the place instead of focusing lights."

Duo snorted and shook his head. He wasn't surprised that Une would be upset about that. But the thing with Treize-

"I don't think Treize cares about me one way or another," Duo said.

Zechs scowled.

"You're wrong there. You-" Zechs sighed and cast a glance over Duo's face, "-you are just his type. Minus the head injury, but I think he'd get over that for the chance to add another notch to his belt."

Duo raised an eyebrow at Zechs' bitter tone.

"He sleeps his way through the actors every year - and I'm pretty sure he slept with Trowa and Wufei last year. This year, he's already bored with the actors and he keeps making comments about you and Heero."

"And you don't approve?" Duo guessed.

Zechs' scowl became more pronounced.

"I'm sure that's hard to believe, considering how we met, but no, I don't approve. Heero - that's fine. He's a grad student, and he's fully capable of telling Treize to go fuck himself. But you…"

Zechs trailed off as Mike walked over and delivered Duo's burger and his coke.

"You need another round?" Mike asked Zechs, who nodded.

"But me _what_?" Duo asked, pretty sure he was about to be insulted.

"You're still a kid and he's nearly thirty. He's experienced and you're not. I've seen him intimidate people into fucking him before, and-"

"Okay, I'm _not_ a kid, and no, I'm not that experienced but I _have_ had sex, you know. And I'm totally fine telling him to go fuck himself if he tries to intimidate me or anything. Just because I didn't say no to _you_ doesn't mean I'd say yes to everyone."

Zechs stared at Duo for a long, tense moment, and then he smirked.

"Why did you say yes to me? It wasn't because you lost."

Duo shrugged one shoulder.

"A little - like I said, I've never lost before. And… I mean, are you really going to make me say it?"

Zechs' smirk grew broader, and Duo rolled his eyes.

"You were hot and arrogant, and I… was stupid and horny or whatever."

"You were fairly hot and arrogant yourself," Zechs murmured, his eyes warm as he glanced past Duo's shoulder towards the pool table. "Thinking you could beat _me_."

"I'm going to - before the summer is over, I'm going to kick your ass in pool."

Mike came back with four bottles of beer and one glass of white wine.

"Thanks," Zechs said, and slid a twenty across the counter.

He picked up the bottles and the glass and stood up straight.

"Keep dreaming, Duo," he said as he walked away. "And I like the sweater."

Duo blushed. He had completely forgotten what he was wearing.

He turned his attention to his food and told himself _not_ to look over at the table again.

He made it through half of his meal before he broke, and glanced over to see Treize staring at him over the rim of the wine glass, humor in his eyes and a confident, arrogant tilt to his lips that was _way_ more annoying than Zechs' smirk.

Duo turned away.

He still wasn't too sure he believed Zechs when he said Treize was interested in Duo - and the expression on his face just now had seemed as if he was more amused by Duo's existence than anything else - but either way, Duo sure as hell wasn't interested in him.

In fact, Duo wasn't interested in _anyone_ except for Zechs. Especially after the Micah disaster.

Just more bad luck, Duo told himself. And after eighteen years of some truly shitty things happening to him, Duo was at least used to that.

He finished his meal, paid and, as he left the bar, glanced over at the table once last time to see Zechs staring after him, a slight smile on his face, his cheeks flushed and his eyes a little glazed, and it was clear he was drunk - or at least well on his way - and Duo couldn't help but think he looked cute, like that. Duo also hoped Zechs wasn't stupid enough to try to drive home on these narrow, winding roads.

But, Duo reminded himself as he turned away, it wasn't his concern.

-o-

Duo managed to sleep until the afternoon on Monday, and when he finally _did_ wake up, it was because Hilde threw herself onto his bed.

"What the hell?" Duo almost fell off the bed, he was so alarmed at the sudden movement.

"Get up, loser, we're taking you to the mall."

Duo blinked open his eyes and glared at her.

"Why?"

"Because if I have to spend all day with Heero and Trowa as the awkward, female third wheel, I'm going to lose my shit with all of their unresolved sexual tension - and because you need to get out and enjoy today."

Duo sighed.

"I _am_ enjoying today."

"You can sleep when you're dead. Come on. Get up. We're going to see X-Men, and I _seem_ to recall a certain someone whining about Quicksilver getting killed off in Age of Ultron and-"

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up," Duo grumbled. "Just- can I shower at least?"

Hilde got off his bed, smirking triumphantly.

"Yep. Movie doesn't start for an hour, and it takes twenty minutes to get there - so don't take all day. We'll be on the back porch waiting for you."

She left, and Duo debated just going back to sleep.

But he _did_ want to see the new X-Men movie, and he _did_ want to eat, at some point - and there was no food service at the theatre on days off.

So he forced himself to get up, take a quick shower, and put on one of his two pairs of shorts that were paint free and one of his three clean black t-shirts. He stepped into his flip-flops, grateful to be able to go without his boots for once, and made his way to the back deck.

Sure enough, Heero and Trowa were sitting beside each other in two of the camp chairs that lived on the deck when it wasn't being used for rehearsal, and they were doing that silent smirking thing that they seemed to be doing more and more of all of the time, and Hilde was standing off to one side checking her phone.

She looked up at his entrance and gave an exaggerated, relieved sigh.

"Awesome. I'm driving - don't even think about arguing with me about it, Trowa. You tried to play chicken with a bear last year, and I'm not about that life."

Duo looked over to see Trowa looking smug as he stood up and shrugged.

"He blinked first, didn't he?"

"Before _you,_ maybe, but the rest of us were screaming our heads off and begging you to turn the fuck around," Hilde grumbled.

They piled into her Volvo, Duo snagging the front seat before Trowa or Heero could claim it.

Hilde cranked the radio volume way up and rolled the car windows down, and Duo, who had never really had much experience with driving around with groups of people his age, had to smirk when Hilde started to sing along to a song on the radio and Trowa, in the backseat, grumbled about it.

Duo just relaxed in his seat, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun on his arm and the cool breeze as Hilde drove a _little_ too fast and sung a _little_ off-key at the top of her lungs.

Hilde drove them in the opposite direction from Monticello, where Duo had arrived at the bus stop a few weeks ago, and to Matamoras, in Pennsylvania.

They had just enough time before the movie to stop by a gas station and load up on snacks and sodas, which Hilde grudgingly agreed to stuff into her over-sized purse.

The movie theatre was nearly empty - it _was_ a Monday afternoon and the movie had already been out for two weeks.

In fact, the only other person in the theatre was a guy sitting in the middle of the back row.

"Zechs?" Hilde sounded delighted when she recognized him, and Duo had to look again - noticing the by now all-too familiar Red Sox hat and Emerson hoodie.

The blond haired man looked up from his bag of popcorn and gave a theatrical groan.

"I came here to _escape_ you," he muttered, but obligingly shifted his feet to let Hilde, Heero and Trowa walk past him.

Duo, however, got stuck standing awkwardly between his legs when Trowa sat down in the empty seat just beside Zechs and smirked up at Duo.

Rolling his eyes, and forcing himself _not_ to think about the last time he had stood between Zechs' thighs, Duo moved back and sat on Zechs' other side and sighed.

"Want me to move?" Zechs asked, his voice amused.

Duo gave him a look, and Zechs smirked and held out his bag of popcorn enticingly.

Duo sighed and snagged a few kernels while he waited for Hilde to pass down his soda and bag of M&Ms.

It wasn't until halfway through the trailers that Duo let himself relax back in his chair, which led to a brief battle with Zechs' elbow over the armrest between them, before Zechs, smirking, just folded it up.

Duo glared at him and folded his legs, crossing them and smirking himself when his knee rested on Zechs' thigh and the other man rolled his eyes but didn't move away.

He wasn't sure what this was - wasn't sure what Zechs was thinking or trying to do, between _this_ and flirting with him last night, and spending all week hovering - but Duo really, really just wanted to not overthink any of it. He wanted to just enjoy the afternoon, the movie he had been looking forward to ever since he had seen the teaser, and yeah, he wanted to enjoy the warm, solid press of Zechs' body against his side and under his leg, too.

The movie was good - not amazing, and Duo wished that Storm and Psylocke had had more character development, but it was a pleasant way to spend two and a half hours.

When the movie ended, and after Duo made everyone wait for the post-credits teaser for the _next_ Wolverine movie that they all agreed was completely unnecessary, Hilde suggested Zechs join them for dinner at the sketchy Mexican restaurant down the road.

Zechs hesitated, but then agreed to join them.

The restaurant turned out to be sketchy in _part_ because they didn't bother to card anyone when Hilde ordered a pitcher of margaritas and five glasses.

Duo had never had a margarita, and while he decided there was _way_ too much tequila in it, he liked the mix of sweet and sour, the bite of the salt on the glass, and, even more, the way Zechs smirked at him as he drank it.

Duo felt the pleasant buzz of alcohol and lust work its way through his body, and he wondered if there was any chance Zechs might actually be interested in him after all. If Zechs might possibly see Duo as _more_ than just the mistaken one-night stand to start off the season.

After dinner, Hilde suggested they go back to the theatre, grab some beer, and have a bonfire.

Zechs sighed - the crew had been asking him for _weeks_ to have a bonfire, which, apparently, was a big deal at the theatre - but agreed _if_ Hilde promised to stay awake long enough to put it out and didn't fall asleep like _last_ time.

By the time they got back to the theatre, the sun was setting and the temperature had already started to drop.

Duo helped Hilde haul scrap lumber and dead branches into the fire-pit, while Heero and Trowa grabbed a case of beer and several camp chairs from the deck and Zechs grabbed the can of gasoline from the shop and a blanket from his Jeep.

There were only three chairs, which Duo had to think was intentional on Trowa's part, so he sat down on one corner of Zechs' blanket while the other man started the fire.

Duo accepted a beer from Zechs, relieved that it was just a normal Budweiser instead of some complex craft brew, and decided that, all things considered, today had been a damn good day.

"How's the _Rocky_ set coming along?" Trowa asked Zechs after they had all been sitting in silence for several minutes.

Beside Duo, Zechs shrugged.

"It's mostly just platforms - it's not going to be a pain in the ass until we have to strike _Chicago_ and take down all of the masking and expose the theatre walls and _then_ load in the platforms. How many moving lights is Une using?"

Trowa rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Twelve. It's like she _wants_ to watch me haul those fat things around all day."

"Can't really blame her there," Hilde muttered, and Trowa gave her a look. "Oh, come on. You know she has a thing for you."

"She's got good taste," Trowa smirked, "but that doesn't mean I _want_ her checking me out all day long."

"Speaking of checking people out all day long, I noticed Micah isn't hanging all over you so much these days," Hilde said.

Duo shrugged, not really sure what to say.

"I think the way Zechs glares at him every time he even looks in Duo's direction has been kind of off-putting," Heero pointed out.

Duo couldn't help but blush at the fact that other people had noticed that, and he looked over at Zechs, who, while scowling, offered absolutely no apology.

"Maybe if he spent more time focused on work and less time on Duo's ass, Duo wouldn't have almost died," he muttered angrily, glaring into the fire.

Duo looked away from Trowa's amused smirk.

"It was an accident," he mumbled, but part of him appreciated Zechs' anger on his behalf.

"It never should have happened," Zechs insisted. "That asshole is getting assigned tavern clean-up for the rest of the summer. At least he won't get anyone killed while he mops."

"You hope," Heero said.

Zechs sighed and leaned back on his elbows, stretching his legs out in front of him and clearly trying to force himself to relax.

"I hope," he agreed.

Duo sighed, and then shivered at the chill of the night air, even near the fire.

"Cold?" Zechs asked.

"I'm fine," Duo insisted, hugging his knees to his chest.

"I've been meaning to ask," Heero spoke up after another few minutes of comfortable silence and another round of beer, "why does Cathy hate Zechs so much?"

Zechs snorted and shook his head, and Trowa smirked.

Duo, however, looked between them with trepidation. He _really_ didn't want the story of him sleeping with Zechs to spread, especially not today, when things had been going so well.

"Yeah, why is that?" Hilde asked as well. "She's had it out for you ever since I started working here three years ago."

"Really?" Duo had to ask.

Zechs offered him a sardonic smirk.

"Really," he confirmed.

"Why?" Duo had to ask, curious and relieved that this _wasn't_ going to be about him.

"Because Zechs is a lecherous old man who couldn't keep his hands off me," Trowa said, sounding amused and proud, "and my sister caught me blowing him in the light booth one night."

"What?" Hilde sounded shocked. "When was this?"

"His first year here - four years ago. I was an intern, and he was just a carpenter."

"And since you're _two years_ younger than me, I think we should hold off on calling me a lecherous old man," Zechs grumbled.

"Wow. I had no idea." Hilde looked between them and shook her head. _She_ seemed amused.

Heero, on the other hand, was frowning and looking at the fire.

Duo couldn't help but think that Trowa was a _lot_ more attractive, and a lot more confident than _he_ was.

"She treats me like I _forced_ him," Zechs complained, "when _I_ was the victim."

"Victim? I didn't hear you complaining," Trowa argued.

"That's true," Zechs had to agree. He chuckled and shook his head, and it was clear he had fond memories of whatever had gone on between them.

Which made Duo wonder why nothing was going on between them _now_.

"So Cathy's pissed that you let Trowa have his wicked way with you?" Hilde surmised.

"Pretty much."

"She's always going to see me as her innocent little brother, despite-"

"Despite the fact that you sleep with _everyone_?" Hilde finished for him.

Trowa lazily kicked the side of her chair, almost pushing her over before she managed to ground herself and glare at him.

"I do not sleep with _everyone_ ," Trowa protested.

Hilde just raised her eyebrows.

"I haven't slept with Dorothy, or Une, or Sylvia, or Quatre - or Duo," he added, and gestured in his direction.

"Or Howard - or Cathy," Hilde helpfully added.

"See? I don't sleep with everyone."

They were too busy smirking at each other and shoving against their camp chairs, and Duo was the only one who noticed Heero, still frowning, get up from his chair and start to walk away.

It wasn't until Trowa finally succeeded in pushing Hilde over that he looked around and noticed that Heero was missing.

He sighed, finished off his beer and chucked the empty bottle into the fire, and stood up.

"I guess I'm calling it a night," he said, and started to walk away, towards the theatre.

Duo wondered if he was going after Heero.

"I'm hungry," Hilde announced as she righted her chair. "I'm going to break into the kitchen-"

"I did not just hear that," Zechs said loudly.

"-and grab some leftovers. Don't let the theatre catch fire while I'm gone."

She walked away into the darkness as well, and Duo and Zechs were left alone.

"So that's what she meant, when she told you to stop sleeping with the interns."

Zechs sighed and sat up.

"Yes. But you and Trowa - like I said, he's two years younger than me."

"So, you're what? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six. And you're only eighteen. And you're clearly freezing," Zechs added, and pulled off his hoodie.

Duo stared at it.

"Just take it. I'm tired of watching you pretend not to be cold."

"It's _summer_ ," Duo grumbled, but he took the sweater and pulled it on, breathing deeply and unable to keep from smiling. It smelled like Zechs, or at least, like _clean_ Zechs - the Zechs from the bar that night. Duo didn't mind sweaty, sawdust-covered, smelling Zechs either, but _that_ Zechs wasn't the one who had taken Duo home. _That_ Zechs was the one that seemed to vacillate between being irritated with Duo and attracted to him.

"It's not Georgia," Zechs pointed out. "You're in the mountains. One year, it snowed in July."

"It did not."

Zechs snorted.

"Look it up. It did." He passed Duo another beer. "Did you pack _any_ warm clothes?"

"No," Duo sighed. "Just my sweatpants and that shirt I left at your place, and the one that Nan never brought back."

"No loss there," Zechs shuddered, and Duo nodded in agreement. As much as he wanted to be _warm_ , he really didn't want to be reminded of the smell and the _taste_ of that foul black stuff in Nan's sink.

"At this rate, _I'm_ not going to have any warm clothes," Zechs smirked.

"Here." Duo started to take off the hoodie, but Zechs reached out and stopped him, pulling the fabric out of Duo's hands and smoothing it down his chest.

"Hang on to it. The nights are going to stay cold until mid-July, at least, and you're probably freezing at night."

"I sleep in your sweater," Duo admitted.

Zechs smiled, and maybe it was a trick of the firelight flickering across his face in the darkness, but it looked like that news made him happy.

Duo forced himself to look away, and he took another sip of his beer.

"I _am_ eighteen," he repeated.

"I know."

"So, I'm just saying - I…" Duo trailed off. He knew the beer - and the earlier margaritas - had gone to his head. They had to have, because otherwise he would _not_ be sitting beside Zechs in front of a fire, wearing his Emerson hoodie, and thinking about kissing him.

"It's not a good idea, Duo," Zechs said, guessing at Duo's intentions. "As much as I want you - it's not a good idea," he repeated, shaking his head.

"You want me?"

Zechs gave him a heated look.

"Of _course_ I want you, Duo. Do you have any idea how - Jesus, you're my _intern,_ and all I can think about every time I see you is what it felt like to fall asleep with you in my arms that night."

Duo swallowed hard. He suddenly didn't feel at _all_ cold anymore. His skin was practically tingling with awareness.

"I think about you, too," he admitted. "About-"

"About what?" Zechs prompted when Duo trailed off.

Duo sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course Zechs would make him say it.

"About your cock, about how good it felt, and… and I wish we'd done more. I wish I hadn't run off. I wish…" Duo shrugged. "I wish I wasn't such a bad idea. I wish the _one_ person who cared about me and _wanted_ me wasn't my boss and-"

He sighed and got to his feet, knowing that this was just going to take a turn for more shitty Maxwell luck if he sat around spilling his guts to Zechs.

"I should call it a night," he said.

"Duo."

He waved Zechs away when the other man started to stand.

"It's fine. You're right. It's not a good idea. Besides, you've got Trowa and Wufei and - and whoever you want."

Duo knew he sounded bitter, but he couldn't help it.

He was both grateful and discouraged when Zechs didn't speak up or try to follow him as he walked away from the bonfire and back to the theatre.

On his way, he passed Hilde.

"Done for the night?" she asked around a mouthful of marshmallows, the bag clutched in one hand and an oversized bar of chocolate in the other.

"Yeah," Duo said. As tempting as s'mores were, he didn't want to face Zechs again.

"Alright. Hey - thanks for hanging out today. It was fun."

Duo grinned at her.

"Yeah, thanks for making me."

"Anytime, Duo. Anytime."

-o-


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Originally for the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Thank you, as always, and seriously never enough, to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

A/N#4: I'm not above begging for reviews. I'm begging for reviews. It's… beyond depressing to see how many views my work gets and how very, very few reviews. I'm not asking anyone for a dissertation, but just a few words can go a long way. They did, in fact, inspire me to come back to this fic. I'm also not asking for a barrage of 'please update fic x.' But, writing doesn't happen in a vacuum, and it doesn't happen instantly. Support is very, very much appreciated and I sincerely thank all of you who do take the time to leave reviews. You make me keep writing, and I thank you for that.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Eight

"Do you need help back there?"

Duo wasn't sure how Wufei managed to blend annoyance, condescension and amusement so well in his voice, but he had clearly mastered it.

"Nope. I'm fine on my own," Duo called back immediately, irritated and embarrassed.

And _very_ grateful there was a curtain separating him from the rest of the costume shop, where Wufei and Treize sat waiting for him.

During Duo's _recovery_ and forced sequestration to the box office, he hadn't had to be on the run crew for _Chicago,_ but now, on the Friday before the Sunday changeover, Duo had been pronounced fit for duty and told he would be on the run crew for _The Rocky Horror Show_. Which was fine by Duo - he had been told that, as the intern, he would be on the run crew for _every_ show. Plus, he _liked_ this show - had seen the movie so many times and had always wanted to see the stage version, and he was excited he would get to be backstage every night, for two weeks, to watch it.

He _had_ been excited, at least, until yesterday, when Wufei stopped by Duo's table at dinner and told Duo to come by the costume shop on Friday for a fitting.

Duo had turned to his friends in horror - but Hilde had rolled her eyes and told him to relax, _her_ costumes were awesome, and Heero had just shrugged and said his was functional. Trowa, not surprisingly, had just smirked and leaned back in his seat and said that he didn't have to wear one - he ran follow spot for all of the shows, with one of the carpenters rotating out to fill in the other spot, and this show it would be Meilin.

So now, Friday afternoon, Duo stood in the makeshift changing room in the costume shop and stared at the _clothes_ spread out on the table in front of him.

 **Never worn fishnet stockings. Check.**

 **Never worn platform boots. Check.**

 **Never worn studded leather briefs. Check.**

 **Never worn a black bra. Check.**

 **Never worn a black mesh tank. Check.**

Duo struggled to pull each of the items on, and then he looked at his reflection in the mirror and had to stare.

What in the actual _fuck_.

The leather briefs were so short, and so tight, that Duo's balls felt incredibly uncomfortable, and he could actually _see_ the outline of his own cock.

The fishnets felt… very strange against his skin, and the platform boots terrified him.

"Sometime today?" Treize asked, his voice lazy, as if he had been bored for all of his life and didn't expect to be entertained anytime soon.

With a sigh, Duo pushed back the curtain and stepped out, into the costume shop proper, and scowled at Treize and Wufei, fully prepared for them to make fun of him.

Instead, Wufei gaped at him and Treize smirked.

"Perfect," he crooned.

Treize made a gesture with his fingers, indicating that he wanted Duo to turn around, and Duo sighed again and did so, catching sight of himself in the mirror by the open door of the costume shop, and then catching sight of Zechs.

The technical director had obviously just come from the tavern, judging by the steaming coffee mug in one hand. In his other hand, he carried a rolled-up sheaf of plans, and he had on his eternally-present Red Sox hat, his hair pulled back in a loose ponytail under it, and a pencil riding behind one ear.

Zechs appeared deep in thought, scrolling through something on his phone, but then he looked up and saw Duo.

His eyes went wide, then narrowed, his lips parted and his cheeks flushed.

And he walked right into a wall.

Duo winced when he saw the coffee slosh out of Zechs's cup and soak his Captain America t-shirt.

Zechs swore, loud enough for them to hear him in the costume shop, and started to ineffectually wipe at the coffee all over himself.

"Ahem."

Duo turned back to Treize, who had one eyebrow arched in question, wondering what Duo had been so focused on outside of the costume shop.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He didn't think Zechs would be too grateful if Duo told them what had just happened.

"Wufei, let's make the tank a cut-off," Treize gestured at Duo, and Wufei stepped forward, safety pins in his hands.

"Here?" Wufei asked, holding his hand out to just above Duo's naval.

"Higher - there," Treize said when Wufei raised his hand almost as high as the bottom of the black bra. "Cut it off there and let's see how it looks."

Wufei arched an eyebrow at Duo when he just stood there.

"Take it off," Wufei prompted him.

Duo pulled it off and tried to decide if he felt more or less ridiculous in _just_ the bra.

It took Wufei no time at all to cut off the bottom eight inches of the tank, and he handed it back to Duo.

He pulled it on and it just barely covered the bra, leaving almost his entire torso exposed.

"You have a scar," Treize sighed, and he sounded irritated.

Duo scowled at him. He was pretty sure Treize was referring to the scar on his belly.

"Yeah, I do. A few, actually."

"That's not from an appendectomy," Wufei mused, staring at Duo's body as though it was a puzzle for him to solve.

Duo glared at him and folded his arms over himself.

"No, it's not," he agreed. He didn't like having them judge him - he felt ridiculous enough as it was - and he _knew_ how he looked without having their critical eyes roaming over him.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

It was Zechs, stepping into the costume shop, his eyes riveted on Duo. Half of his shirt was plastered to his chest, and it looked like he had tried to rinse it off in the bathroom sink.

Duo felt his lips twitch at the mental image of Zechs doing that.

"His costume for _Rocky_ ," Treize answered. "Like it?"

Zechs was still looking at Duo, his cold eyes tracing over every inch of him, and Duo dropped his arms down to his sides, wanting Zechs to get the full view, wanting-

Wanting _what_?

In the four days since the bonfire, Duo and Zechs hadn't spoken, and Zechs's trips to the box office had lessened, so that Duo rarely saw him outside of meals or the back deck.

Duo couldn't help feeling like he wanted something from Zechs, wanted to be with him, even after they had talked, even though they agreed it was a bad idea and even though Zechs had _plenty_ of other people to choose from.

Standing in front of him, dressed in a costume that was basically lingerie, Duo wanted Zechs to look at him with approval, with desire - with something that wasn't the disapproving gazes of Wufei and Treize. With something like the way he had looked at Duo that night, when he had called Duo beautiful.

"It's indecent," Zechs said, and gestured towards Duo's groin.

"Oh. That. We'll give him a dance belt. It should help a _little_." Treize shrugged.

"Can you move in those boots?" Zechs directed the question to Duo.

"Yeah. Enough." Duo shrugged. "Don't think I'd ever want to wear them again, though."

"Shame," Treize murmured, and Duo looked over to see him smirking.

Zechs sighed, drawing Duo's attention back to him.

"I wanted to let you know that you're on electrics for changeover again, unless you don't feel safe?"

Zechs looked genuinely concerned.

"It's fine - I don't mind," Duo assured him.

The blond haired man nodded, and let his eyes roam over Duo's body again. His lips twitched, but he didn't say anything more before he turned around and left.

-o-

During the rushed dinner on Sunday, just after the show and just _before_ the changeover from _Chicago_ to _The Rocky Horror Show_ began, Trowa casually dropped a white hard-hat, covered in yellow _caution_ stickers, on the table beside Duo's food.

Duo looked from the hat to Trowa, who, smirking, sat down beside Hilde, instead of the open seat beside between Duo and Heero.

 _That_ had been another development since Monday night - the distance between Heero and Trowa. They no longer sat beside each other on the back deck, and while _Trowa_ still looked at Heero with a smirk often, Heero seemed oblivious to him.

"Thanks?" Duo said.

Trowa nodded.

"It also has black foam padding that should absorb any blood, if you decide to redecorate the theatre again."

Duo rolled his eyes.

"You're back on carpentry full-time, after this changeover," Heero said. "Electrics can go without you for a while."

He didn't look over at Trowa as he spoke, but Trowa looked at _him_ , jaw tightening and eyes looking… well, almost like he had actual emotions.

Duo and Hilde exchanged wide-eyed looks but said nothing.

The rest of the meal passed in silence, everyone taking the precious few minutes to shovel food into their mouths before spending the next seven to ten hours working.

"Where're Quatre and Relena?" Duo realized he hadn't seen them.

Hilde snorted and stood up, gathering her dishes to take back to the kitchen, and Duo followed suit, happy to leave Heero and Trowa behind to do their… whatever it was they were doing.

"Probably fucking on your bed."

"At least someone is," Duo muttered, unable to stop himself from looking across the tavern to where Zechs was seated with Noin, the scenic designer, going over a set of coffee-stained plans.

-o-

Working the full change-over was exhausting, and while Duo didn't _wish_ he got to spend half of it in a hospital bed, he _felt_ almost as bad as he had when he had fallen off of a ladder two weeks before.

Except, when Duo finally crawled into his bed at four a.m. on Monday morning, the weariness and physical exhaustion he felt in every fibre of his being was _good_. Was earned.

And yeah, it felt good, but when he woke up from his alarm only four hours later, it felt less good.

He even followed Trowa's example, something that would have given him pause had he had more sleep, and went down to the kitchen and grabbed one of the empty pitchers that the kitchen staff used for lemonade during lunch, filled it half full of ice, added a cup of milk, and then filled the rest of it with hot coffee.

Trowa nodded in approval, more than once, and Duo wasn't sure if Trowa was _really_ approving or really still half-asleep.

The rest of the day was…

Not the worst day Duo had experienced. Not even the worst day at the Playhouse.

From eight until noon, he and Trowa worked to finish cabling and patching the lights, working in a few focus notes when Une snapped her fingers at them imperiously. After lunch, Duo was released back to the carpentry staff, and Meilan and Hilde made a big show of clapping for him and inspecting him for damage before passing him a toolbelt and telling him to get his ass to work.

After a half-hour dinner break, the actors and director showed up and everyone got ready to run the show. Instead of the normal process of technical rehearsals and then dress rehearsals, because of the abbreviated schedule, each show at the Playhouse had a rehearsal Monday night, another Tuesday afternoon, and then opened Tuesday night - it was a hell of a thing, and Duo had never worked in such quick turnaround conditions before.

Nor, of course, had he ever worn so fucking _little_ backstage.

He got appreciative whistles from Hilde, Meilan, Relena and a handful of the cast the first time he came onstage to help move scenery, and he felt himself blush so hard his face actually burned.

But, by opening on Tuesday night, everyone was so tired and punch-drunk, and the _cast_ so almost naked anyway, that no one gave Duo even a second glance.

It was a relief, to hear the audience roar their approval for the show on Tuesday night during the curtain call. It meant the show was a success, it meant Duo could now _sleep,_ and it meant he could get the fuck out of his ridiculous costume.

He was upstairs, pulling the thing off of him and grimacing at the way the material and his own sweat made it cling, when Quatre came into their room.

"There you are!"

He sounded, and looked, like he had been drinking. His bright smile was just this side of sloppy, his hair disheveled and his eyes warm.

As the scenic painter, Quatre didn't have to run the shows, and Duo had no idea what he actually _did_ at nights. Well, it looked like he drank, Duo decided.

"Yep," Duo agreed, and picked up his flannel pajama bottoms.

"What- what are you doing?"

"Putting on my pjs and going to sleep."

Quatre looked scandalized by that response.

"Duo! It is _Opening Night_!"

"Yeah, which means tomorrow all I have to do is run a matinee and an evening show, so I get to sleep until eleven. And since it's eleven now, that means twelve amazing hours of sleep." Just _saying_ it made him feel better. Twelve hours. It was a dream come true.

"No, no, no." Quatre crossed the room and yanked the flannel out of Duo's hands.

"Quatre, what are you-"

"It's opening night, and since you don't have a concussion this time, you're coming to the party and you're going to have a good fucking time, and you are _not_ wearing _those_."

Unbidden and unwelcome, Quatre started going through Duo's dresser.

"We gotta get you hooked up with someone. I thought the cute idiot was going to do the trick, but he was way more idiot than cute. But tonight, tonight we are going to find you someone cute and less dumb, and get you laid and-"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"-I can't lose this bet with Trowa, Duo." Quatre tossed Duo's nicest clean jeans at him and the black button-up shirt that Duo had hoped would be nice enough for any events requiring 'casual formal attire' that the welcome packet had told him to prepare for.

"What bet?"

Quatre didn't even blush, didn't look the tiniest bit remorseful.

" _The_ bet. On if you stay a virgin all summer."

Duo stared at him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Quatre rolled his eyes.

"The bet - we made it the first night, after you went wandering off to fight bears or whatever."

"To get dinner."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I _cannot_ lose another bet to Trowa. You have _no idea_ what I had to do the last time."

"What, exactly, is the bet?"

"He bet you'd still be a virgin by the time you went home, and I bet you'd get laid. It's not complicated - it doesn't even matter _who_ you fuck. Just… please. Don't you _want_ to get laid?"

"How do you know I'm a virgin?"

Quatre gave him a look - a long, steady, silent look that managed to be somehow judgemental and sympathetic at the same time.

"Well, I'm not," Duo snapped when he felt himself flush.

Quatre arched an eyebrow.

"Of course you're not. You're a socially awkward gay dude from Georgia, and I'm sure you've had _dozens_ of fuck buddies. You're like, the Georgian Casanova or something."

Duo didn't like the patronizing tone, liked it even less when Quatre gestured imperiously towards the clothes he had selected.

"Why aren't you off fucking Relena?"

"She's on her period - not the part where she's horny during it, but the part where she hates all men because biology and dicks and bleeding. She just wants to get drunk and see you make out with the actor playing Brad. She and Hilde can't decide if he's gay or straight, and Relena thinks that you're our best bet to get him to out himself."

It was, Duo couldn't help but think, more information than he had _ever_ wanted to know about _anything_.

"I-"

"Cramps, Duo. Cramps, and she's _mean,_ and she won't even let me touch her right now. So, please, take one for the team, put on your clothes, and come get drunk."

Duo was halfway through dressing when he realized something.

"Wait. What happens if Trowa loses the bet?"

Quatre gave him a huge, wolfish grin that was a little disturbing.

"He has to stop being a stupid prick and tell Heero he wants to date him."

"Wait, wait, you made this bet the first night?"

"We made the bet the first night; we didn't set the terms. But then after Hilde told me what happened at the bonfire last Monday night…"

"Huh."

Duo could end it now, could just tell Quatre that he really, really wasn't a virgin and-

And Trowa _knew_ that he wasn't a virgin. Had had some kind of talk with Zechs, and he _knew_.

And the asshole wasn't going to say a damn thing about it.

"I just want to sleep," Duo mumbled, buttoning up the shirt and shoving his feet into his black Chucks.

Quatre looked him over, undid the top two - three - buttons of his shirt, and then reached for Duo's aftershave.

Duo redid two of the buttons, but gamely slapped a bit of the aftershave on, and Quatre nodded.

"Good, good. Obviously, you can't come drink in the tavern, you're underage, so go do a few shots of Tequila on the back deck and then come to the tavern so you can dance with Brad."

Quatre practically shoved him down the stairs, and Duo gave up on the idea of just retreating back to their room when Quatre crossed his arms and jerked his head towards the back deck.

"I'll wait here," he said.

Duo rolled his eyes. Even drunk, Quatre was still pretty sharp apparently.

So Duo made his way through the darkened theatre, down the hall past the showers, and out to the back deck.

The beer fridge also had a stock of liquor in the freezer, each bottle labeled with a name or 'drink me, bitch', which meant that either Hilde or Meilan had bought it for everyone to share.

Duo grabbed the tequila labeled 'drink me, bitch', and then reached for one of the plastic Solo cups on top of the freezer.

He poured himself a little, a lot, too much of the tequila, and then put the bottle back in the freezer and forced himself to chug it.

Coughing and trying not to gag around the burning in his throat, Duo almost didn't hear them until it was too late.

"...enjoy teaching?" That was Wufei's voice, and it was coming from the direction of the tavern.

"Sometimes. More than I thought I would. Less than I thought I would too."

And that was Zechs, the baritone voice making Duo shiver and then _immediately_ hate himself for that reaction.

"And how many of your students have flirted with you?"

They were closer to the deck, and Duo wondered if he should leave or-

"A few misguided souls," Zechs said after an amused snort.

"Can you really blame them?"

That made Duo freeze in place, not just the words, but the tone of Wufei's voice.

He heard the sole of a boot, definitely Zechs's, on the deck.

"For trying to get me fired?"

"No, for thinking you're attractive."

Duo flattened himself against the wall beside the beer fridge, out of their sight, and prayed to _fuck_ that neither of them went for a drink.

There was no way he could get away without them noticing, and he had overheard just enough to know that Wufei was flirting with Zechs and Zechs… Zechs wasn't exactly encouraging him, but he wasn't shooting him down either.

There was silence for a moment, and Duo risked looking around the side of the fridge.

The back deck was a mess, scenery from _Chicago_ piled around waiting to be cleaned up after _Rocky_ opened, and Zechs was seated on a set of black wooden stairs, his long legs sprawled out casually and a bottle of beer in hand.

He had cleaned up, had probably gone home before or during the show and showered, and he-

He was wearing Duo's shirt, the one he hadn't been able to find that night. It hugged his torso tightly, showing off a physique that, even in a loose t-shirt, wasn't fair. In Duo's shirt, though…

Duo wondered if Zechs even remembered that that shirt wasn't _his_. Wondered if he even cared.

Wufei moved over beside Zechs, a glass of something amber in his hand, and he made a show of nudging Zechs over on the stairs and sitting beside him.

Wufei looked good, too, in tight pants, a fitted dress shirt and a bowtie that made him look somehow both incredibly dorky and incredibly cute.

Zechs was smirking at Wufei, and Duo… Duo wished he knew if that was just Zechs's amused smirk or if it was his interested smirk.

"I'm their teacher," Zechs finally said with a shrug. "It puts me in a shitty position. Plus, I'm not interested in them."

"Had your fill of horny teenagers?"

"What?" Zechs asked, looking a little horrified, and Duo felt horrified himself.

 _Did Wufei know?_

"I just meant - I know you and Trowa used to fool around."

Zechs still looked a little shaken.

"We did. But he hasn't been a teenager for years."

"And you two aren't fucking, this year."

"No," Zechs said, and then took a sip of his beer. "We're definitely not fucking this year."

Duo thought Zechs almost sounded regretful. And that… Well, that sucked to hear.

"The summerstock I worked at last year? Out in Utah? Full of straight men. It was… it was like a convention of straight men. Even the actors. An entire summer with _no one_." Wufei shuddered theatrically, but Zechs chuckled.

"That sounds awful."

"It _was_ ," Wufei assured him, and then stood up. He finished off his drink in one long swallow, neck arching back to drink it, and Zechs watched him do it.

"Anyway, the tavern doesn't interest me right now."

"Me either," Zechs agreed, looking away from Wufei for a minute, frowning as he looked off in the direction of the tavern.

"It's been a long day, and I haven't spent enough time in my bed recently," Wufei continued, pulling his hair loose and shaking it around his shoulders. "Want to come help me keep it company?"

Duo could only stare.

It wasn't all that surprising that Wufei was flirting with Zechs - he'd been doing it in a sullen, quiet way since the first full day of work - but he was… charming? Sexy? Funny?

Things that Duo didn't even realize Wufei _could_ be.

He felt his mouth go dry as Zechs arched an eyebrow and considered the offer.

Before Zechs could respond, however, the door to the back deck banged open.

"Duo! Get your ass to the tavern now and get this guy to fuck you!"

Duo leaned his head back against the refrigerator and closed his eyes.

 _Quatre_.

And just as drunk as before, it sounded like.

"He's not here," Wufei snapped in irritation, and Duo found himself smirking at that. _Good_.

He hoped Quatre cock-blocked him all night.

And then he immediately felt bad for that - he and Zechs… they weren't anything. Weren't _going_ to be anything.

"Huh. I told him to do shots and then meet us in the tavern, and he hasn't showed."

"Well, unless he's doing the shots _in_ the beer fridge, he didn't listen to you."

"Huh." Quatre said again. "Oh. _Oh_. Sorry, was I interrupting? Sorry, sorry. I know Wufei's been working up to this for-"

"Kindly fuck _off_ ," Wufei hissed.

And now Duo felt bad for him. Quatre sober was… something to deal with. Quatre _drunk_ was a menace, and Duo really didn't wish him on anyone. Not even Wufei as he was trying to get into Zechs's pants.

"Well, if you do see Duo, tell him to get his ass over to the tavern. I've got a plan in place, and it needs _him_ to actually work."

Duo was sure the plan would be something awful and embarrassing.

The door to the theatre opened and closed again, but Zechs and Wufei remained silent for a long, strained moment before Zechs cleared his throat.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the offer, Wufei, but I'm… involved with someone."

Duo felt his heart actually leap into his throat.

"Involved? But you and Trowa aren't fucking."

"No, it's not- it's not like that. And it's not Trowa. I'm sorry."

There was another long silence, but Duo didn't want to risk looking again.

A moment later, the door to the theatre opened and then slammed closed.

 _Ouch_.

Still, Duo couldn't deny the relief he felt. Relief, coupled with… hope?

No, not really. Zechs had made it pretty clear he thought a relationship was a bad idea.

But then, why say he was involved? He was clearly attracted to Wufei, and Wufei- Wufei was hot, snarky, and cool in a prickly kind of way.

Duo couldn't figure it out, and he honestly didn't want to. He just wanted to savor the knowledge that Zechs wasn't fucking Wufei. At least, not right then.

He risked a peek around the fridge. Zechs was still sitting on the steps, one knee drawn up to his chest and his arm carelessly draped over it as he stared off into the darkness surrounding the theatre. He didn't look troubled, but he didn't look completely at ease, either.

He also didn't look like he was planning on moving anytime soon.

Duo sighed and started to carefully slide down the side of the fridge, intent on sitting down. If he was going to be here for a while, he might as well-

His phone started to ring, the tone loud and jarring in the still night, and it startled Duo so badly he tripped over his own feet and ended up sprawled on the deck.

He knew Zechs could see him, knew he was- knew he was pretty well fucked- but he tried his best to ignore the way his face flamed and his pulse hammered, and he dug into his pocket for his phone.

 _Quatre_.

No doubt calling so he could pimp him out.

Duo silenced the phone, drew in a deep breath, and picked himself up off the deck.

Zechs hadn't moved, except to turn his head in Duo's direction.

His gaze was impossible to read.

"Hi," Duo managed after what felt like hours of awkwardly standing there in front of him.

Zechs's lips quirked.

"Hi." He sounded… He didn't sound pissed.

"I, uh… I think Quatre wants me in the tavern," Duo gestured weakly.

"Apparently, there's someone he wants you to fuck," Zechs said, and then took a sip of his beer, finishing it off.

"I, uh - apparently, yeah."

Duo scratched the back of his neck. Part of him felt like he should run away. Another part felt he should try to explain why he had been hiding behind the beer fridge, and another part of him really just wanted to kiss Zechs.

"Don't let me keep you."

"No, yeah. I- I was drinking tequila, and you- you and Wufei- I- I was kind of stuck."

Duo made a few gestures, towards the fridge, towards the tavern, towards Zechs, the door of the theatre. He was pretty sure none of them were necessary, and definitely sure they made him look like the idiot he was.

Zechs almost smiled, his lips fighting to remain neutral but the skin around his eyes crinkling.

But he didn't _say_ anything, and Duo didn't know what the fuck to say. Which, as usual, resulted in him saying too much.

"Look, I just- You- It's fine, you know, if you want to fuck Wufei. He's hot and-"

"I appreciate your permission."

Duo felt his face turn even more red.

"I'm just saying, I get it, that's all. I'm not- It's not- I'm not going to spend the summer glaring at anyone you fuck or anything. I'll be okay. I-"

The door to the theatre opened _again,_ and Quatre was back, this time with company.

It was Brad. Or rather, the actor playing Brad. Dan, something. Duo couldn't remember. But he was a nice guy - tall and handsome in a clean-cut way that made him perfect for the role.

"Ah hah! I knew it! If Mohammad won't come to the mountain, then-" Quatre looked triumphant as he shoved Dan forward. "Dan, you were saying that you never got the chance to thank Duo for picking up your glasses when you dropped them onstage tonight."

The actor looked a little bemused at Quatre's maneuvering, but he smiled and gamely stepped forward.

"No. I was looking for you, though," Dan said, and his smile turned warmer as he looked at Duo. "You saved me out there."

"I… I was just doing my job. It wasn't a big deal."

"Still. I think I owe you at least a drink. And maybe a dance?"

"He's underage," Zechs snapped, drawing everyone's attention to him.

Dan shrugged.

"Then a dance." He turned twinkling eyes back to Duo. "I don't think there's an age limit at this playhouse for _that_?"

Duo was pretty sure Dan wasn't talking about dancing.

Even more sure when he saw Quatre give him a thumbs-up behind Dan's back and Zechs's scowl turn frosty.

"Um, I… Can I take a raincheck? I'm beat and I haven't showered in two days and I, uh, I suck at dancing."

Quatre had a look on his face that suggested Duo had just betrayed him to his worst enemy. He waved his hands in wide, flailing gestures to indicate he didn't know what the fuck Duo was doing.

Dan arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I happen to be _excellent_ dancer." He was smirking, and Duo wondered why he was trying so hard - there were plenty of hot gay men at the theatre - the actors alone were… Hell, Duo had overheard them going on and on about how they hoped Dan would fuck them.

"Right, well, then maybe another night?" Duo offered him a lukewarm smile, and Dan blinked.

"Oh. Right. Huh." He shrugged, his warm smile back in place after a moment. "Well, thanks anyway for saving my glasses. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, anytime." Duo gave an awkward wave as Dan nodded and then turned around to go back to the tavern.

Remarkably, Quatre waited until Dan was out of earshot before he started to berate Duo.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? He's hot, isn't he? Zechs, you're gay - Dan is hot, right?"

"Not really my type," Zechs shrugged, and even though Duo wasn't looking at him, he was pretty sure he could _hear_ Zechs smirking.

"Not mine either," Duo mumbled.

"You have a _type_? Why didn't you _tell me!_ Come on, let's find your fucking type and get you laid. Duo, please. Trowa is evil. He knows my weaknesses, and I am not-"

"What's he going on about?" Zechs asked Duo.

With a sigh, Duo turned to Zechs.

"He bet Trowa that I wouldn't stay a virgin all summer. Trowa bet that I would. Trowa is an evil dick so Quatre wants to get me laid so he can avoid whatever hell Trowa comes up with to torment him."

"Oh." There was a lot Zechs could have said, but somehow that one word said enough.

He arched an eyebrow at Duo.

"Yeah. I know. It's whatever."

He sighed and turned back to Quatre.

"Look, just… let me sleep, okay? I promise I won't end the summer a virgin. Okay?"

Quatre cocked his head to the side and examined Duo as if he was searching for structural flaws.

"Fine. You can escape tonight. I need to come up with a new plan anyway."

And with that, Quatre turned and headed towards the tavern.

Duo sagged in relief.

"For the record," Zechs said, drawing Duo's attention to him again. The taller man was smirking, and Duo felt his whole body ache to be closer to him. "You don't suck at dancing."

Before Duo could process that, before he could even _question_ it, Zechs was off the deck and headed for his car.

He had no idea what the fuck had just happened, but he was pretty sure he was going to need a lot more than twelve - now just ten - hours of sleep to recover from it.

-o-

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: For the Gundam Wing RarePair Big Bang hosted on Tumblr.

A/N #2: Always, always thanks to Ro for beta reading!

A/N #3: I've tried to simplify the world of technical theatre so that this doesn't become a technical production manual and I hope it flows accordingly.

A/N #4: I think I mentioned somewhere along the way that the daylight days off were on Thursday, but that was wrong/I'm changing it to Fridays.

Pairings: 6x2, ?

Warnings: Angst, language, sex (the usual)

 _Offstage_

Chapter Nine

On Thursday morning, Duo woke up a little hungover and a lot sore.

Wednesday had been… an interesting day, to say the least.

Two-show days were easy, boring and exhausting in ways that a full day working in the scene shop wasn't. Duo couldn't decide if he was looking forward to the next two-show day or dreading it, a feeling that was exacerbated by the drinking that Quatre had insisting the tech staff indulge in that night on the back deck.

It had been a lot of drinking, two hours of truth or dare that was both awkward and hilarious, and Quatre trying _oh so subtly_ to figure out what Duo's 'type' was while Duo sat in a camp chair, huddled in Zechs's Emerson hoodie, and wondered if he could just drown in the beer he was drinking.

Zechs himself wasn't present. He had spent the day carting trash off the back deck by himself while his staff ran shows, and was now, according to a smirking Trowa who had answered Duo's hopelessly un-casual query, back at the bungalow drafting plans for the next show.

So Duo answered Quatre's questions - and Relena, Hilde and Meilan, the traitors - about what kind of guys he liked in the most ambiguous way possible.

Trowa was smirking so broadly Duo wondered if his face would crack, and he was so irritated with _everyone_ \- but especially Quatre, who should just let it go, and _Trowa,_ who fucking _knew_ \- that he finally snapped and, when it was his turn to ask Heero Truth or Dare and Heero shruggingly agreed to the dare, Duo told him to kiss Wufei.

Which immediately wiped the smirk from Trowa's face, left Wufei sputtering in confusion, and Heero scowling before he finished off his beer and then kissed Wufei for long enough that the other man stopped protesting and actually reached up to hold him, and Trowa got up and stalked off into the night.

Duo had immediately felt like an asshole, especially when he saw Heero look for Trowa and then saw his shoulders sag when he realized the other man was gone. He felt like even more of an asshole when he saw the raised eyebrow Quatre gave him.

Truth or Dare grew considerably more subdued after that, and Duo downed another three beers in a hurry before calling it a night, slinking off to curl up in his bed and wish he wasn't such a fucking idiot.

He also, of course, wished that he wasn't curled up in _his_ bed.

But that was part of why he was an idiot in the first place.

Thursday morning, however, Duo had to revise his estimation of idiocy to fatally stupid.

He woke up, rolled over, and saw that Quatre and Relena were both in his bed, thankfully and remarkably clothed, and he kept as quiet as he could while he gathered up his towel and shower kit.

Duo tip-toed down the stairs that tended to squeak at the slightest provocation, opened the door to cut through the theatre to get to the showers-

And froze.

Not ten feet away, standing on its back legs as it tried to crawl behind the concessions counter, was a bear.

Not a cute cuddly thing like Winnie the Pooh or whatever, but a huge fucking brownish-black creature that was _terrifying_.

 **Never seen a bear in real life. Check.**

 **Never been within ten feet of a killing machine. Check.**

Duo knew that wasn't really fair - bears weren't, he didn't think, really into killing. Weren't they foragers?

It certainly _looked_ like the bear was foraging.

Duo looked around slowly, wondering what kind of damage the bear had wrecked, and he noticed that the door to the side parking lot was wide open.

It was an older door, made of wooden slats, and it closed with a gate hook that, Duo remembered, was something Trowa was supposed to lock every night before he went to bed.

They always left it open as late as possible, because it was kind of a fire hazard and the air flow was nice, but they never left it open overnight because apparently bears were a problem.

Duo hadn't believed it, hadn't believed any of them.

Until this moment.

He realized he was _still standing there,_ and decided he should really get the fuck out of there.

The bear was between him and the theatre entrance, so that was out, and besides, he couldn't just leave Quatre and Relena up there with a _bear_ waiting for them.

Slowly, as silently as he could, Duo backed up the stairs and to his room, wincing with every creak of the stairs.

Quatre and Relena were still asleep, and Duo didn't know if he should wake them or let them be, or-

He heard rustling, and a kind of snuffling sound, from downstairs, and he practically flung himself onto their bed.

"What- Duo? What, uh- I mean, Quatre and I talked about trying something, but I don't know if now is really the-"

"There's a bear," Duo cut off whatever half-asleep proposition Relena was in the middle of. "In the lobby. A bear. There's a fucking _bear_ in the lobby."

That got both their attentions and they snapped awake.

Quatre turned to Relena, who sighed and pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Duo asked her.

"Calling Zechs. He doesn't usually get here for another - jesus. Two hours. What the hell are you doing up so early?" She rubbed at her eyes as she dialed. "Hey. Yes, yes, I know I interrupted your precious beauty sleep. Get over it - it's not like you've got anyone special to look good for right now anyway. Listen, there appears to be a bear in the lobby and- Yeah, I said _appears_ because I haven't been down there. No, Duo found it when- Yes, Duo is fine. Zechs, he's fine. He's literally right here, in bed with Quatre and me. Totally unharmed."

Duo flushed when Relena shot him an amused look. Quatre, however, wasn't looking all that amused. He was, in fact, looking thoughtful.

"Great. We'll just wait here and hope it doesn't eat us. Yeah, I'll try to get Trowa's attention."

Relena hung up the phone and sighed.

"Well, he's on his way, but it's about twenty minutes, fifteen if he really floors it. He said we should try to get Trowa to wake up. I don't have his number…" Both Quatre and Duo shook their heads. "Right, well, I think his room is down there. Maybe we can throw a rock at it or something?"

She gestured vaguely towards their own window.

"A rock?" Duo asked, looking around the room that wasn't, strangely, filled with spare rocks.

It was, however, filled with costumes.

Five minutes, five hats, three pairs of shoes and a sword scabbard later, the window to Trowa's room slid up and a tousled head emerged.

A tousled head that was _not_ Trowa's.

"Heero?" Relena expressed the confusion that both Duo and Quatre were feeling.

"What?" he demanded grouchily, and then looked at the litter of costume pieces spread out on the ground. "What's going on?"

"We, uh, were trying to get Trowa's attention…"

Heero glared up at them as if he thought they were all idiots, but his head disappeared. A moment later, Trowa was the one glaring up at them.

"What?" he repeated Heero's question, sounding just as cranky.

Duo couldn't help but notice that both of them were naked, at least from the waist up.

"There's a bear in the lobby."

Trowa stared at them, then looked down, and then slammed his fist on the windowsill.

"Fuck. _Fuck_. I didn't lock the door. Fuck, fuck-" The stream of expletives trailed off as he disappeared from the window.

A moment later, Heero was back, now wearing a shirt.

"He says to stay there. He's going to call Zechs-"

"We already did. He's on his way."

"Then just, stay there."

"Really? And I was just about to go down and ask the bear if he wanted to cuddle," Relena muttered.

Heero arched an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything else before he too vanished.

"Well. This is a perfect start to the day," Duo muttered.

"It's karma, for you being an asshole last night," Quatre theorized.

" _Me_? You're the one who was hounding me all night about-"

"You made Heero kiss Wufei when you _knew_ he and Trowa-"

"Yeah, well, you _know_ I'm not a virgin, and you keep insisting that-"

"You _are_ a virgin and-"

"Boys, boys." Relena reached up with both hands, petting each of their heads. "There's a bear downstairs. So let's avoid shouting. And you were both assholes last night. _But_ ," she gave Duo a warning look when he opened his mouth to argue, "I feel it's worth pointing out that Heero was definitely in Trowa's room and I seriously doubt Trowa forgot to lock the lobby door because he was lonely last night."

Quatre stared at her for a moment, and then he smirked.

"It's about fucking time," he muttered.

"They've been fucking for weeks," Duo pointed out.

"Yeah, but not since whatever it was that happened - what _did_ happen at the bonfire?" Quatre asked.

Duo sighed but, since it didn't look like they _could_ go anywhere anytime soon, told them about it.

-o-

According to Trowa, dealing with the bear involved a fishing pole, a sock filled with ground beef and leftovers from the kitchen, and Zechs's Jeep.

Duo was 99% sure Trowa was fucking with them, but since he hadn't _seen_ it and since Zechs just shrugged and Heero smirked, there was no one to offer up any contradicting story.

Plus, Duo had thought the bears were bullshit too. So…

However the bear was dealt with, it became the primary topic of conversation for the day.

A very _long_ day that involved not only working a full day in the scene shop to help build the next show, _My Fair Lady_ , but also involved running a show that night _and_ a one hour photo call following the show.

It was a long day, and it felt _good_ to finally be done with everything. Duo changed out of his _Rocky_ costume and threw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, Zechs's Emerson hoodie and flip flops before going out to the back deck to join the rest of the tech staff.

Quatre had been dropping hints all day about a beer pong tournament that night, and while Duo would have happily passed up the entire thing for some extra sleep, when he had mentioned that plan Quatre had looked disappointed and wearily resigned to Duo's lameness. And Duo had caved instantly and agreed to hang out for a while, but just to watch. The instant transformation of Quatre's features had made it very clear that the blond haired man had been playing Duo. Which he really should have seen coming.

Still, as Duo settled in one of the folding camp chairs on the back deck and watched Quatre and Dorothy argue about _which_ of the spare sheets of plywood was the regulation length for the beer pong table and which was for beer ball, Duo couldn't regret passing up more sleep.

He also couldn't help but look around for Zechs.

The technical director usually went home at around nine each night, staying long enough to make sure disaster didn't immediately ruin the shows, and then going back to the bungalow to draft. But he _had_ told Quatre he would come back for beer pong tonight.

Quatre and Dorothy finally agreed on which tabletop to use and set it up. Duo watched as they racked the red solo cups in two opposing triangles and fervently hoped no one tried to get him to play. He had never played beer pong - the few parties he had attended in college _had_ had a few people clustered around a table playing, but Duo had never had a partner to play with, and just wasn't comfortable or social enough to step up and ask for one.

Considering how many times he had already embarrassed himself this summer, he wasn't too eager to show off his total lack of beer sports prowess as well.

Duo watched the still-bickering Dorothy and Quatre pour water into each cup, and wondered why this game was even called beer pong.

"Virgin, huh?"

Duo looked away from the set-up and glared at Trowa, who was leaning against the deck railing beside Duo. As ever, Trowa was smirking.

He held out a beer towards Duo.

With a sigh, Duo accepted it and took a cautious sip. He was still learning what kinds of beers he liked - definitely none of the really hoppy stuff that Heero seemed to prefer, or any of the really, _really_ fruity beer that Hilde liked. It was a little galling to admit that he _liked_ Trowa's taste in beer.

It was mild, with a slight fruity aftertaste, and definitely the best thing Duo had ever tried.

 _Blue Moon Mango Wheat_.

"I'm not a virgin," Duo reminded him after taking another sip.

"Uh-huh," Trowa said in a tone that managed to sound like he was both agreeing and disagreeing with Duo.

Duo glared at him again, but his glare didn't seem to phase Trowa in the slightest.

Trowa gestured towards the beer pong table with one hand.

"So you've played before?"

Duo sighed.

 _Why_ was Trowa so damn observant? And such an asshole?

"No, I haven't," Duo admitted.

"It's easy. Kind of like sex."

"Beer pong is like sex?"

"Well, for you, it will be. Considering that Zechs is your partner."

"What- It's not-"

"Duo, did you forget that beer pong is part of the Tournament of Assholes?"

He had. He had actually forgotten about the entire _thing_ after that disastrous night of cornhole.

Duo sighed and slouched down in his chair. He should have just gone to bed and forfeited.

If Zechs got upset when they _almost_ won, how was he going to react when Duo just straight-up sucked and lost immediately?

"So you have two teams," Trowa gestured to each end of the table, "and the goal is to eliminate all of the cups from in front of your opponent."

"How?" Duo asked.

"Ping pong balls. You throw them into the cups. If you bounce it in - off the table - then you get two cups. But that won't work for the final cup."

"Where does the beer come in?"

"We used to use beer instead of water, and you had to empty the cup when a ball landed in it, but…" Trowa trailed off and gestured to where Quatre was digging a bag of dusty, paint spattered ping pong balls out from under the paint sink.

Duo absolutely did _not_ want to drink anything those had touched. Ever.

" _But_ ," Trowa added, "you do have to take a drink every time you lose a cup. Plus, it helps to be drunk to start off. So finish that up and get another. Zechs should be here in ten or fifteen minutes."

"Yeah?"

Trowa gave him a look, and Duo felt his cheeks flush.

"Yeah. He wanted to make a run to the beer store. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried."

Trowa rolled his eyes, but thankfully didn't say anything else.

Duo was on his third beer by the time Zechs arrived. He had also watched Wufei and Meilan lose horribly to Hilde and Noin, and the very one-sided game had at least shown Duo the basics of the game.

Zechs parked his Jeep just as Quatre and Relena started to re-rack the cups on one side of the table and Heero and Trowa set up their end.

Zechs walked up to the back deck carrying two cases of beer, one Bud Light - the preferred drink for sports, Quatre had explained last week when Duo made a face at all of the Bud Light in the freezer - and one of more Blue Moon.

Trowa offered Zechs a salute with his beer when Zechs hefted the Blue Moon before putting it away in the fridge alongside the Bud Light and the other beer already stocking the fridge.

Zechs grabbed a Blue Moon for himself before shutting the fridge and looking around the deck.

His eyes landed on Duo, and his lips curved upwards in a slight smirk that did all sorts of really unfair things to Duo's heart and dick.

Zechs crossed the deck, leaning over the beer pong table to announce that he had the next game, and came to a stop beside Duo.

He leaned against the railing, much as Trowa had done before.

But, whereas Duo had wanted nothing more than to ignore Trowa and hope that the other man would leave him alone, Duo was helpless _not_ to look at Zechs.

He looked over at Zechs and realized that his eyes were directly across from Zechs's crotch. He immediately jerked his gaze upwards and found Zechs smirking down at him.

"Nice sweater," Zechs said.

Duo smoothed a hand over the paint-stained Emerson logo.

"Do you-"

"I already told you to keep it," Zechs interrupted him. "I like seeing you in it."

Duo was pretty sure there was no way to take that comment other than Zechs flirting with him. At least, he sincerely hoped there was no other way to take it.

"It's a nice hoodie," Duo said.

Zechs smirked again, and took another sip of his beer, letting Duo absorb the monumental stupidity of his inability to flirt _back_.

They watched the beer pong game in silence, and even though Relena and Quatre held their own, Duo wasn't at all surprised that Heero and Trowa won the game.

As the four players shook hands, Zechs straightened up.

"Ready to play?" Zechs asked him.

"I should warn you," Duo sighed. "I'm not- I've never played before."

He expected Zechs to look disappointed or exasperated by the revelation, but instead, Zechs finished off his beer and shrugged his shoulders.

"You're a quick learner. I'm not worried."

Duo was. Especially when Trowa smirked across the board at him.

He wasn't sure what was more intimidating - Trowa's omniscient smirk or Heero's determined scowl.

Either way, Heero and Trowa both sank their balls on their first throws, and Trowa hit another cup on the return throw. They were down three cups before Duo and Zechs even got the chance to take their first throws.

Zechs landed his ball into the front cup, and Duo missed the table completely.

He felt his cheeks flame when Trowa's smirk grew, and he couldn't bear to look at Zechs.

Trowa got another cup on the next round, but Heero's bounced ball was caught by Zechs, who passed it over to Duo.

"Don't try so hard," Zechs murmured to him. "You don't have to aim for a specific cup - just in the general direction."

Duo arched his eyebrow at the advice and at Zechs's patient tone.

Zechs was a lot of things, but _patient_ was not one of them. He was short, terse even at work - taking his time to explain things only when asked to, but otherwise assuming and expecting everyone knew exactly what he wanted from them. The only time when Duo could actually consider Zechs to be _patient_ had been that first night, when Duo had confessed to being a virgin.

Duo swallowed hard and forced himself _not_ to think about that.

He held the ball aloft and tried to stop himself from aiming at a specific cup.

The ball bounced off the rim of two cups before falling off the table.

From the sidelines there was a chorus of groans.

"That was close. That was good." Zechs squeezed his shoulder and then took aim himself, sinking the ball into the cup in the center of the rack.

Duo rubbed his shoulder where Zechs had touched him, and then caught Trowa looking at him. If possible, Trowa smirked even broader.

"Told you it was just like-"

"Yeah, okay, I get it," Duo hastily interrupted him. His cheeks were burning, and he grabbed the beer he had set on the floor under the table and finished it off.

"You'll need another," Trowa said, and gestured to the beer fridge with one hand just before tossing the ball with his other hand and sinking it in yet _another_ cup.

Heero, thankfully, bounced his off the rim of one cup, and Duo managed to catch it before it could fall into a cup.

And then he got himself another beer, taking a sip from it when Trowa gave him a meaningful look.

Zechs shot first, managing to bounce the ball low enough that it landed in a cup before Trowa or Heero could swat it away.

Zechs smirked, and Trowa scowled as he pulled two cups from the board.

Duo set down his beer and took aim with his ball.

It landed in corner cup in front of Heero.

"Yes!" he cheered, and turned to see Zechs looking pleased.

"Nicely done," Zechs congratulated him.

Sitting on the side and fighting with Dorothy over what music to play, Quatre cheered as well.

Trowa rolled the balls back.

Zechs's shot bounced off the rim of a cup, but Duo's landed in yet another cup.

Quatre cheered again, and Duo grinned and then blushed again when Zechs wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"There we go," Zechs said proudly.

Trowa's scowl tightened, but the celebration was short-lived for Duo and Zechs.

Both Heero and Trowa made their throws, and Duo rolled the balls back to them.

He sighed in relief when both of their return throws missed.

Once again, Zechs sank his shot.

With only three cups left, Zechs's advice to not aim for a specific cup was proving less helpful.

Duo held his breath and tossed the ball.

It bounced off the rim of the cup closest to Trowa.

"That's okay," Zechs said. "We're still doing good. Besides, Trowa's end-game is shit."

That brought their opponent up short. He glared at Zechs, who smirked back at him.

" _My_ end-game is shit?" Trowa repeated, and then snorted derisively. He tossed his ball into the cup that still sat at the top of their rack. "I don't think so."

Heero landed his shot as well, and suddenly Duo and Zechs were down to just one cup.

"Fuck. I'm sorry," Duo sighed, and scrubbed at his face as Zechs rolled the balls back to them.

"For what? You've done well, and the game isn't over yet."

Sure enough, both Heero and Trowa missed their return shots.

Duo breathed a sigh of relief and accepted one of the balls from Zechs.

"You've got this," Zechs assured him.

Duo stepped up to the table and took his time.

His shot landed cleanly into a cup.

As did Zechs's.

Trowa rolled the balls back and folded his arms over his chest. They were down to the last cup for each side, and there would be no bouncing a ball in.

"You first," Zechs said.

Duo was relieved by that - if he fucked up there was still a chance for Zechs to win.

He drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and tossed the ball.

Quatre jumped to his feet and shouted.

"Hell _yes_! Nice job, Duo!"

The others clapped as well, but Trowa held up one hand.

"They haven't won yet. We still have our rebuttal shots."

This was news to Duo, and his confusion must have shown.

"They can still tie the game up, if they clear the last cup," Zechs explained.

"What happens then?"

"Three cup overtime." Zechs shrugged. "But don't worry," he paused and smirked at Trowa, "like I said, Trowa's end-game is shit."

Heero threw first, the ball bouncing off the rim to a chorus of groans and a muttered curse from Heero.

And then Trowa took aim.

Zechs positioned himself directly behind the cup and crossed his arms.

Trowa rolled his eyes.

"Oh, what, like you putting your dick behind the cup is going to distract me?"

Zechs's only response was to arch one eyebrow.

Trowa tossed the ball and, for the first time, his shot went past the table and hit Zechs in the chest.

Duo lunged forward and knocked the ball away before it could fall into the cup.

Zechs hugged Duo while everyone, except Heero and Trowa, cheered.

When Zechs released him, Duo's pulse was still racing from the adrenaline of winning and the feel of Zechs's body pressed against his. He knew he was blushing, but he forced himself to walk towards Heero and Trowa.

"Good game," Heero said, and clapped him on the back.

"Yeah," Trowa sighed and shook his hand. "Good game." He sounded a lot less enthusiastic or sincere than Heero had.

"Maybe next time," Zechs said, shaking each of their hands while wearing a shit-eating grin. "But probably not."

The two men moved away while Cathy and Sally stepped up.

"Ready to win another?" Zechs asked Duo, his grin still in place and his eyes dancing.

The look was hypnotizing, Zechs's excitement contagious, and Duo nodded enthusiastically.

"Hell yeah."

-o-

They won three more games before Hilde and Noin stepped back up and defeated them in another game that went down to one cup for each side.

By that point, Duo had finished off… more beers than he could count, and even though his aim hadn't been affected, his balance certainly was.

He had expected Zechs to be pissed that they had finally been defeated, but the technical director was still in good spirits as they shook hands with Hilde and Noin.

"Sorry I lost the game," Duo apologized afterwards, leaning heavily against the deck railing and thinking about the shot he had missed that would have won the rebuttal for them.

"It's fine. You played well. Besides, I don't think anyone else is going to go on a four-game winning streak. The winning team for this is whoever has the longest streak."

Duo grinned.

With Hilde and Noin as one team and Heero and Trowa as another, he also doubted anyone else would be able to put together a longer winning streak.

"That's awesome."

Zechs arched an eyebrow at him.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Dunno," Duo shrugged. "A lot."

Zechs shook his head.

"Come on, let's get you some water and some food."

"Food. That sounds amazing."

Duo managed to walk down the deck stairs by virtue of clinging to the railing for dear life, but after stumbling twice on the uneven ground between the deck and the back entrance to the tavern, Zechs put an arm around Duo.

"Don't make me fill out an injury report for you because you were too drunk to walk," Zechs muttered.

Duo stiffened in his grip.

"I'm teasing you," Zechs assured him.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I just… yeah."

Duo managed to shut himself up before saying too much, and the rest of the walk was silent and uneventful.

Once in the kitchen, Zechs filled a glass with ice and water.

"Drink that. When it's empty, drink another."

"I'm not even thirsty. I-"

"Duo, tomorrow is your daylight day off. I assure you, spending it in bed with a hangover while my sister and Quatre fool around in the bed next to yours is _not_ what you want to be doing."

Duo took a huge gulp of the water and coughed.

"Good. Now, what do you want to eat?"

The kitchen kept out a supply of fruit, cookies, cereal, chips and popcorn at all times, but only had real food out for mealtimes.

"I wish I could just make a grilled cheese sandwich," he muttered as he reached for the bag of chips.

"What kind of cheese?"

Duo frowned.

"Huh? We aren't allowed to go into the walk-in for food."

Zechs rolled his eyes.

" _You_ aren't. I am. What kind of cheese do you want?"

"Uh, cheddar?"

Zechs nodded and then pointed to the cup.

"Drink."

Duo obeyed, and watched Zechs grab a plate and then disappear into the walk-in fridge at the other end of the kitchen.

He came out a moment later, plate in hand, and set it down on the counter beside Duo.

There were several slices of cheese, as well as butter.

Zechs reached over Duo's head for the bread, and Duo tried very hard not to care about how close Zechs's body was to his own.

Bread acquired, Zechs set about finding a pan, lighting the industrial stove top and greasing up the pan.

"Tonight was fun," Duo said, feeling the need to say _something_.

"It was," Zechs agreed, and smirked at him.

The smirk reminded Duo of the night they had met, when Zechs had beaten him at pool and claimed a dance as his payment.

"Do you have any plans for your day off tomorrow?" Duo asked while he watched Zechs butter the slices of bread and add them to the pan. Either Zechs thought Duo needed two grilled cheese sandwiches or he was making one for himself also.

"Swimming and reading. You?"

Duo shrugged one shoulder.

"Sleeping. But I forgot about the whole Relena and Quatre situation."

Zechs offered him a sympathetic look.

"Hilde usually goes into town - you should see if she'll give you a ride," Zechs suggested.

Duo shrugged again. She had asked him earlier in the day if he wanted to hang out, and Duo still hadn't decided what to do.

"Swimming sounds nice," he said.

"If it doesn't rain, it should be," Zechs agreed.

Duo couldn't help but notice that Zechs was absolutely _not_ extending an invitation to Duo to swim with him.

He tried not to care - but after what had happened on opening night and after _tonight_ , with the way Zechs had looked at him and talked to him and _touched_ him, it was difficult for Duo to just shrug it off.

"Here you are." Zechs held out a plate with a perfectly browned sandwich on it.

Duo took it with a sigh.

"Something wrong?" Zechs asked.

"No, it's nothing. It's- This looks great."

Zechs had made the other sandwich for himself, and he picked it up and started to eat it.

Duo followed suit and he had to sigh again, this time in genuine pleasure. It was delicious, and exactly what he had needed.

"Thanks for doing this," he said around a mouthful.

"You're welcome."

They ate in silence, Duo pausing to take sips of his water between bites, and then Zechs waved away Duo's offer to wash the dishes and did it himself.

Zechs had just replaced the bread over Duo's head when they heard something from the back pantry, a kind of shuffling, scratching sound that had Duo immediately on edge.

And immediately thinking back to the bear.

"What the fuck?" he whispered.

Zechs frowned and moved towards the pantry door.

"What if it's a bear?" Duo reached for him, easily visualizing a bear plowing through the pantry door and taking a bite out of Zechs.

"It's not," Zechs assured him.

Duo gripped the counter behind him as Zechs reached for the door and slowly opened it.

There was a screech, some kind of terrifying, chattering wail that made Duo lunge for Zechs and pull him away from the door, and then a dark, mangy ball of fur came tearing out of the pantry, across the kitchen, and out the back door.

"What the fuck was that?"

"A raccoon. The kitchen staff didn't lock the pantry up. We've always had problems with raccoons getting in."

Zechs reached down and put his hand over Duo's where it clung to Zechs's waist.

"Thanks for saving me."

Duo moved away, blushing and feeling immediately defensive.

But Zechs held onto his hand, turning around to face Duo, and as Duo looked up at him, all he could think about was kissing Zechs.

It must have shown.

Zechs lifted one hand to trace over Duo's jaw.

"You're drunk, Duo."

"Yeah, I know." That didn't stop him from turning his face and pressing his cheek into Zechs's hand. Or from wanting more.

"Duo."

He didn't know if Zechs was warning him or encouraging him. Duo pressed his lips against Zechs's palm.

"This is not a good idea," Zechs sighed.

"I remember."

Duo stood up to his full height and wrapped one hand around the back of Zechs's neck.

They stared at each other, Duo silently begging and Zechs seeming to fight an internal battle with himself.

But then Zechs leaned down, closing the space between them, and pressed his lips against Duo's.

He thought he had missed it, thought he could remember the taste and feel of Zechs, but he had been wrong.

This kiss was so much better, so much more intense, so _perfect_ compared to what Duo had been fantasizing about for weeks now.

Zechs's lips parted, teasing Duo's open, and their tongues tangled together.

Duo felt Zechs's hands slide around his waist, and he pushed his body against Zechs's and clung to him.

One of Zechs's hands moved lower, down to Duo's ass, and squeezed.

Duo groaned. He wanted Zechs so badly, wanted to be with him again, to kiss him and fuck him and fall asleep next to him and-

"-telling you, there's only Captain Crunch left to eat."

The sound of a voice had Duo and Zechs instantly moving away from each other.

Quatre and Relena stepped into the kitchen.

Duo, breathing heavily and no doubt blushing like hell, busied himself with refilling his cup of water.

"Zechs, I didn't realize you were still here," Relena said.

"I'm still here," was Zechs's response. Duo could hear the frustration in his voice, and it mirrored his own.

"I'm surprised you're still on your feet after all the beer you drank tonight," Quatre said, walking over to nudge Duo with his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I needed some food and water."

"Good thing Zechs is taking care of you, then."

Duo could _hear_ the grin in Quatre's voice, and it made him blush even harder.

"Ahaha!" Relena shouted.

Duo spun around, wondering what she had possibly discovered and how much shit he was about to be in.

But Relena wasn't pointing at Duo or Zechs. Instead, her attention was focused completely on the box of Lucky Charms cereal she held aloft triumphantly.

"I _told_ you there was some left."

Quatre rolled his eyes at her, and Relena grinned.

Duo dared to look in Zechs's direction. He did not look happy, at all.

"I should call it a night," Zechs said, not looking at Duo.

"Sure, sure- Oh. You and Duo had the longest winning streak. No one else came even close."

Zechs finally looked at Duo.

"I'm not surprised."

And then he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Duo with Relena and Quatre.

"Okay, he needs to get laid," Relena sighed. "He's even more anti-social than he usually is. What do you think the chances of Heero and Trowa being up for a threesome with him are?"

Quatre snorted a laugh and shook his head.

He glanced over at Duo.

"I doubt Zechs would be interested, even if they were."

There was something in Quatre's eyes that made it clear that he knew _why_ Zechs wouldn't be interested.

-o-

TBC


End file.
